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 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 armour also of the Suta's son that had been forged with great
care by many foremost of artists working for a long time, the son of
Pandu cut off within a moment in many fragments. After thus divesting him
of his armour, Partha then, in rage, pierced Karna with four whetted
shafts of great energy. Struck forcibly by his foe, Karna suffered great
pain like a diseased person afflicted by bile, phlegm, wind, and fever.
Once more Arjuna, with great speed, mangled Karna, piercing his very
vitals, with numerous excellent shafts, of great keenness, and sped from
his circling bow with much force and speed and care. Deeply struck by
Partha with those diverse arrows of keen points and fierce energy, Karna
(covered with blood) looked resplendent like a mountain of red chalk with
streams of red water running down its breast. Once more Arjuna pierced
Karna in the centre of the chest with many straight-coursing and strong
shafts made entirely of iron and equipped with wings of gold and each
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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