looked resplendent like Rudra at the universal
destruction, sporting in the midst of crematorium at noon or eve, his
body dyed with blood. The son of Adhiratha then pierced Dhananjaya who
resembled the chief of the celestials himself (in energy and might) with
three arrows, and he caused five other blazing arrows resembling five
snakes to penetrate the body of Krishna. Shot with great force, those
arrows, decked with gold, pierced through the armour of that foremost of
beings and passing out of his body fell upon the earth. Endued with great
energy, they entered the earth with great force and having bathed (in the
waters of the Bhogavati in the nether region) coursed back towards Karna.
Those shafts were five mighty snakes that had adopted the side of
Takshaka's son (Aswasena whose mother Partha had slain at Khandava). With
ten broad-headed arrows shot with great force, Arjuna cut off each of
those five snakes into three fragments whereupon they fell down on the
earth. Beholding Krishna's limbs thus mangled with those snakes
transformed into arrows sped from Karna's arms, Arjuna, decked with
diadem and garlands, blazed up with wrath like a fire engaged in burning
a heap of dry grass. He then pierced Karna in all his vital limbs with
many blazing and fatal shafts shot from the bow-string stretched to the
very ear. (Deeply pierced), Karna trembled in pain. With the greatest
difficulty he stood, summoning all his patience. Dhananjaya having been
filled with wrath, all the points of the compass, cardinal and
subsidiary, the very splendour of the Sun, and Karna's car, O king, all
became invisible with the showers shot by him. The welkin seemed as if it
were shrouded by a thick forest. Then that slayer of foes, that bull of
Kuru's race, that foremost of heroes, viz., Savyasaci, O king, soon slew
in that battle 2,000 foremost of Kuru warriors, with their cars and
steeds and drivers, forming the protectors of Karna's car-wheels and
wings and his van-guard and rear-guard and who constituted the very pick
of Duryodhana's car-force, and who, urged by Duryodhana, had been
fighting with great energy. Then thy sons and the Kauravas that were
still alive fled away, deserting Karna, and abandoning their dying and
wounded, and their wailing sons and sires. Beholding himself abandoned by
the terrified Kurus and seeing the space around him empty, Karna felt no
agitation, O Bharata, but, on the other hand, rushed at Arjuna, with a
cheerful h