The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3: Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
General
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3: Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Epic literature, Sanskrit
"Sanjaya said, 'Then the Kurus and the Srinjayas once more fearlessly
encountered each other in battle, the Parthas being headed by
Yudhishthira, and ourselves headed by the Suta's son. Then commenced a
terrible battle, making the hair to stand on end, between Karna and the
Pandavas, that increased the population of Yama's kingdom. After that
furious battle, producing rivers of blood, had commenced, and when a
remnant only of the brave samsaptakas, O Bharata, were left
unslaughtered, Dhrishtadyumna, O monarch, with all the kings (on the
Pandava side) and those mighty car-warriors--the Pandavas themselves, all
rushed against Karna only. Like the mountain receiving a vast body of
water, Karna, unaided by anyone, received in that battle all those
advancing warriors filled with joy and longing for victory. Those mighty
car-warriors encountering Karna, were beat off and broken like a mass of
water, and beat back on all sides when it encounters a mountain. The
battle, however, that took place between them and Karna made the hair
stand on end. Then Dhrishtadyumna assailed the son of Radha with a
straight shaft in that battle, and addressing him said, "Wait, Wait." The
mighty car-warrior Karna, filled with rage, shook his foremost of bows
called Vijaya, and cutting off the bow of Dhrishtadyumna, as also his
arrows resembling snakes of virulent poison assailed Dhrishtadyumna
himself with nine arrows. Those arrows, O sinless one, piercing through
the gold-decked armour of the high-souled son of Prishata, became bathed
in blood and looked beautiful like so many cochineal. The mighty
car-warrior Dhrishtadyumna, casting aside that broken bow, took up
another bow and a number of shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison.
With those straight shafts numbering seventy, he pierced Karna.
Similarly, O king, Karna, in that battle, covered Prishata's son, that
scorcher of foes, with many shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison.
The slayer of Drona, that great bowman, retaliated by piercing Karna with
many keen shafts. Filled with rage, Karna then, O monarch, sped at his
antagonist a gold-decked shaft that resembled a second rod of death. That
terrible shaft, O monarch, as it coursed impetuously towards Prishata's
son, the grandson of Sini, O king, cut off into seven fragments,
displaying great lightness of hand. Beholding his shaft baffled by the
arrows of Satyaki, O king, Karna resisted Satyaki with showers of arrows
from every side. And he pierced Satyaki in that encounter with seven
clothyard shafts. The grandson of Sini, however, pierced him in return
with many arrows decked with gold. The battle then that took place, O
king, between those two warriors was such as to fill both spectators and
listeners with fear. Though awful, soon it became beautiful and deserving
objects of sight. Beholding the feats, in that encounter, of Karna and
the grandson of Sini, the hair of all the creatures there present seemed
to stand on end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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