Garuda?" Krishna replied, "Whilst thou, armed with bow, wert engaged at
Khandava in gratifying the god Agni, this snake was then in the sky, his
body ensconced within his mother's. Thinking that it was only a single
snake that was so staying in the sky, thou killedest the mother.
Remembering that act of hostility done by thee, he cometh towards thee
today for thy destruction. O resister of foes, behold him coming like a
blazing meteor, falling from the firmament!"'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'Then Jishnu, turning his face in rage, cut off, with
six keen shafts, that snake in the welkin as the latter was coursing in a
slanting direction. His body thus cut off, he fell down on the earth.
After that snake had been cut off by Arjuna, the lord Keshava himself, O
king, of massive arms, that foremost of beings, raised up with his arms
that car from the earth. At that time, Karna, glancing obliquely at
Dhananjaya, pierced that foremost of persons, viz., Krishna, with ten
shafts whetted on stone and equipped with peacock feathers. Then
Dhananjaya, piercing Karna with a dozen well-shot and keen arrows
equipped with heads like the boar's ear, sped a cloth-yard shaft endued
with the energy of a snake of virulent poison and shot from his
bow-string stretched to his ear. That foremost of shafts, well shot by
Arjuna, penetrated through Karna's armour, and as if suspending his life
breaths, drank his blood and entered the earth, its wings also having
been drenched with gore. Endued with great activity, Vrisha, enraged at
the stroke of the shaft, like a snake beaten with stick, shot many mighty
shafts, like snakes of virulent poison vomiting venom. And he pierced
Janardana with a dozen shafts and Arjuna with nine and ninety. And once
more piercing the son of Pandu with a terrible shaft, Karna laughed and
uttered a loud roar. The son of Pandu, however, could not endure his
enemy's joy. Acquainted with all the vital parts of the human body,
Partha, possessed of prowess like that of Indra, pierced those vital
limbs with hundreds of arrows even as Indra had struck Vala with great
energy. Then Arjuna sped ninety arrows, each resembling the rod of Death
at Karna. Deeply pierced with those shafts, Karna trembled like a
mountain riven with thunder. The head-gear of Karna, adorned with costly
gems and precious diamonds and pure gold, as also his earrings, cut off
by Dhananjaya with his winged arrows, fell down on the earth. The costly
and bright arm