from his niche in the car.  The son of Vikartana, then desirous of slaying Bhimasena, seized a dart whose shaft was adorned with gold and stones of lapis lazuli.  Grasping that fierce dart, which resembled a second dart of death, and uplifting and aiming it, the mighty son of Radha hurled it at Bhimasena with a force sufficient to take away Bhima’s life.  Hurling that dart, like Purandara hurling the thunderbolt, Radha’s son of great strength uttered a loud roar.  Hearing that roar thy sons became filled with delight.  Bhima, however, with seven swift arrows, cut off in the welkin that dart endued with the effulgence of the sun or fire, hurled from the hands of Karna.  Cutting off that dart, resembling a snake just freed from its slough, Bhima, O sire, as if on the lookout for taking the life-breath of the Suta’s son, sped, in great wrath, many shafts in that battle that were equipped with peacock-feathers and golden wings and each of which, whetted of’ stone, resembled the rod of Yama.  Karna also of great energy, taking up another formidable bow, the back of whose staff was adorned with gold, and drawing it with force, shot many shafts.  The son of Pandu, however, cut off all those arrows with nine straight arrows of his own.  Having cut off, O ruler of men those mighty shafts shot by Vasushena, Bhima, O monarch, uttered a loud roar like that of a lion.  Roaring at each other like two mighty bulls for the sake of a cow in season, or like two tigers for the sake of the same piece of meat, they endeavoured to strike each other, each being desirous of finding the other’s laches.  At times they looked at each other with angry eyes, like two mighty bulls in a cow-pen.  Then like two huge elephants striking each other with the points of their tusks, they encountered each other with shafts shot from their bows drawn to the fullest stretch.  Scorching each other, O king, with their arrowy showers, they put forth their prowess upon each other, eyeing each other in great wrath.  Sometimes laughing at each other, and sometimes rebuking each other, and sometimes blowing their conchs, they continued to fight with each other.  Then Bhima once more cut Karna’s bow at the handle, O sire, and despatched by means of his shafts the latter’s steeds, white as conchs, to the abode of Yama, and the son of Pandu also felled his enemy’s charioteer from his niche in the car.  Then Karna, the son of Vikartana, made steedless and driverless, and covered in that battle (with shafts), became plunged into great anxiety.  Stupefied by Bhima with his arrowy showers, he knew not what to do.  Beholding Karna placed in the distressful plight, king Duryodhana, trembling with wrath, commended (his brother) Durjaya, saying, ’Go, O Durjaya!  There the son of Pandu is about to devour the son of Radha!  Slay that beardless Bhima soon, and infuse strength into Karna!’ Thus addressed, the son Durjaya, saying unto Duryodhana, ‘So be it’, rushed towards Bhimasena engaged (with Karna) and covered him with arrows.  And Durjaya struck Bhima