the
Kaikaya prince, the commander of the Kaikaya division, Ugrakarman, rushed
with speed and striking Prasena, the son of Karna, with many shafts of
fierce impetuosity caused him to tremble. Then Karna, with three
crescent-shaped arrows, cut off the arms and the head of his son's
assailant, whereupon the latter, deprived of life, fell down upon the
ground from his car, like a Sala tree with its branches lopped off with
an axe. Then Prasena, with many keen arrows of straight course, covered
the steedless grandson of Sini, and seemed to dance upon his car. Soon,
however, the son of Karna, struck by the grandson of Sini, fell down.
Upon the slaughter of his son, Karna, with heart filled with rage,
addressed that bull among the Sinis from desire of slaying him, saying,
"Thou art slain, O grandson of Sini!" and sped at him an arrow capable of
slaying all foes. Then Shikhandi cut off that arrow with three shafts of
his, and struck Karna himself with three other shafts. The fierce son of
the Suta then, cutting off with a couple of razor-faced arrows the bow
and the standard of Shikhandi, struck and pierced Shikhandi himself with
six shafts, and then cut off the head of Dhrishtadyumna's son. The
high-souled son of Adhiratha then pierced Sutasoma with a very keen
shaft. During the progress of that fierce battle, and after
Dhrishtadyumna's son had been slain, Krishna, O lion among kings,
addressed Partha, saying, "The Pancalas are being exterminated. Go, O
Partha, and slay Karna." Thus addressed the mighty-armed Arjuna, that
foremost of men, smiled and then proceeded on his car towards the car of
Adhiratha's son desirous, on that occasion of terror, of rescuing the
Pancalas slaughtered by Karna, that leader of car-warriors. Stretching
his Gandiva of loud twang and fiercely striking his palms with her
bow-string, he suddenly created a darkness by means of his arrows and
destroyed large numbers of men and steeds and cars and standards. The
echoes (of that twang) travelled through the welkin. The birds, (no
longer finding room in their own element), took shelter in the caverns of
mountains. With his full-drawn bow, Arjuna looked resplendent. Indeed, as
the diadem-decked Partha, at that terrible moment, fell upon the foe,
Bhimasena, that foremost of heroes, proceeded on his car behind that son
of Pandu, protecting his rear. Those two princes then, on their cars,
proceeded with great speed towards Karna, encountering their foes along
t