conflict, thou shalt know thy own strength, and shalt no longer
disregard others. Abandoning good breeding, thou hadst uttered many
harsh words, but this that thou endeavourest to do, is, I think,
exceedingly difficult. Do thou now, O Radha's son, contending with me in
the sight of the Kurus, make good what thou hadst said before in
disregard of myself. Thou who hadst witnessed Panchala's princess
outraged by villains in the midst of the court, do thou now reap the
fruit of that act of thine. Fettered by the bonds of morality before, I
desisted from vengeance then. Behold now, O son of Radha, the fruit of
that wrath in conflict at hand. O wicked wight, we have suffered much
misery in that forest for full twelve years. Reap thou today the fruits
of our concentrated vengeance. Come, O Karna, cope with me in battle.
Let these thy Kaurava warriors witness the conflict.' Hearing these
words, Karna replied, 'Do thou, O Partha, accomplish in deed what thou
sayst in words. The world knows that thy words verily exceed thy deed.
That thou hadst foreborne formerly was owing to thy inability to do
anything. If we witness thy prowess even now, we may acknowledge its
truth. If thy past forbearance was due to thy having been bound by the
bonds of morality, truly thou art equally bound now although thou
regardest thyself free. Having as thou sayst, passed thy exile in the
woods in strict accordance with thy pledge and being therefore weakened
by practising an ascetic course of life, how canst thou desire a combat
with me now! O Pritha's son, if Sakra himself fight on thy side, still I
would feel no anxiety in putting forth my prowess. Thy wish, O son of
Kunti, is about to be gratified. Do thou fight with me now, and behold
my strength.' Hearing this, Arjuna said, 'Even now, O Radha's son, thou
hadst fled from battle with me, and it is for this that thou livest
although thy younger brother hath been slain. What other person, save
thee, having beheld his younger brother slain in battle would himself
fly from the field, and boast as thou dost, amid good and true men?'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Having said these words unto Karna, the
invincible Vibhatsu rushed at him and charged a volley of shafts capable
of penetrating through a coat of mail. But that mighty car-warrior,
Karna, received with great alacrity that discharge with an arrowy shower
of his own, heavy as the downpour of the clouds. And that fierce volley
of arrows covered all sid