the noise of the thunder, suddenly pierced Karna, that mighty car-warrior, on his left side.  Deeply afflicted by the violence of that stroke, the mighty-armed Karna with weakened limbs, fell into a swoon on his car, his bow dropping from his hand.  Beholding Karna in that plight, the vast Dhartarashtra host uttered cries of “Oh” and “Alas,” and the faces of all the combatants became colourless.  Beholding the prowess of their king, on the other hand, O monarch, amongst the Pandavas, leonine roars and shouts and confused cries of joy arose.  The son of Radha, however, of cruel prowess, recovering his senses soon enough, set his heart on the destruction of Yudhishthira.  Drawing his formidable bow called Vijaya that was decked with gold, the Suta’s son of immeasurable soul began to resist the son of Pandu with his sharp shafts.  With a couple of razor-headed arrows he slew in that encounter Candradeva and Dandadhara, the two Pancala princes, that protected the two car wheels of the high-souled Yudhishthira.  Each of those heroes, standing by the side of Yudhishthira’s car, looked resplendent like the constellation Punarvasu by the side of the moon.  Yudhishthira, however, once more pierced Karna with thirty arrows.  And he struck Sushena and Satyasena, each with three arrows.  And he pierced everyone of the protectors of Karna with three straight arrows.  The son of Adhiratha then, laughing and shaking his bow inflicted a cutting wound on the king’s body with a broad-headed arrow, and again pierced him with sixty arrows and then uttered a loud shout.  Then many foremost heroes amongst the Pandavas, desirous of rescuing the king, rushed in wrath towards Karna and began to grind him with their arrows.  Satyaki and Chekitana and Yuyutsu and Shikhandi and the sons of Draupadi and the Prabhadrakas, and the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Bhimasena and Shishupala and the Karushas, Matsyas, the Suras, the Kaikayas, the Kasis and the Kosalas, all these brave heroes, endued with great activity, assailed Vasusena.  The Pancala prince Janamejaya then pierced Karna with many arrows.  The Pandava heroes, armed with diverse kinds of arrows and diverse weapons and accompanied by cars and elephants and steeds, rushing towards Karna, encompassed him on all sides, from desire of slaying him.  Thus assailed on all sides by the foremost of Pandava warriors, Karna invoked into existence the brahmastra and filled all the points of the compass with arrows.  The heroic Karna then, like unto a blazing fire having shafts for its scorching flame, careered in battle, burning that forest of Pandavas troops.  The high-souled Karna, that great bowman, aiming some mighty weapons, and laughing the while, cut off the bow of that foremost of men, Yudhishthira.  Then aiming ninety straight arrows within the twinkling of an eye, Karna cut off, with those sharp shafts, the armour of his antagonist.  That armour, decked with gold and set with gems, looked beautiful, as it fell down, like a wind-tossed cloud