Those heroes, speedily advancing with their cars,
encompassed that foremost of men, and poured their
shafts upon that angry warrior, viz., Karna, that
ornament of battle. That foremost of men endued
with great valour, viz., the son of Radha, afflicted
those eight heroes engaged in battle with eight keen
shafts. The Suta’s son possessed of great
prowess, O king, then slew many thousands of other
warriors skilled in fight. Filled with rage, the
son of Radha then slew Jishnu, and Jishnukarman, and
Devapi, O king, in that battle, and Citra, and Citrayudha,
and Hari, and Singhaketu and Rochamana and the great
car-warrior Salabha, and many car-warriors among the
Cedis bathed the form of Adhiratha’s son in
blood, while he himself was engaged in taking the
lives of those heroes. There, O Bharata, elephants,
assailed with arrows by Karna, fled away on all sides
in fear and caused a great agitation on the field
of battle. Others assailed with the shafts of
Karna, uttered diverse cries, and fell down like mountains
riven with thunder. With the fallen bodies of
elephants and steeds and men and with fallen cars,
the Earth became strewn along the track of Karna’s
car. Indeed, neither Bhishma, nor Drona, nor
any other warrior of thy army had ever achieved such
feats as were then achieved by Karna in that battle.
Amongst elephants, amongst steeds, amongst cars and
amongst men, the Suta’s son caused a very great
carnage, O tiger among men. As a lion is seen
to career fearlessly among a herd of deer, even so
Karna careered fearlessly among the Pancalas.
As a lion routeth a herd of terrified deer to all
points of the compass, even so Karna routed those throngs
of Pancala cars to all sides. As a herd of deer
that have approached the jaws of a lion can never
escape with life, even so those great car-warriors
that approached Karna could not escape with their lives.
As people are certainly burnt if they come in contact
with a blazing fire, even so the Srinjayas, O Bharata,
were burnt by the Karna-fire when they came in contact
with it. Many warriors among the Cedis and the
Pancalas, O Bharata, that were regarded as heroes,
were slain by the single-handed Karna in that battle
who fought with them, proclaiming his name, in every
instance. Beholding the prowess of Karna, O king,
I thought that a single Pancala even would not, in
that battle, escape from the son of Adhiratha.
Indeed, the Suta’s son in that battle repeatedly
routed the Pancalas.
“’Beholding Karna thus slaughtering the Pancalas in that dreadful battle, King Yudhishthira the just rushed in wrath towards him; Dhrishtadyumna and the sons of Draupadi also, O sire, and hundreds of warriors, encompassed that slayer of foes viz., the son of Radha. And Shikhandi, and Sahadeva, and Nakula, and Nakula’s son, and Janamejaya, and the grandson of Sini, and innumerable Prabhadrakas, all endued with immeasurable energy, advancing with Dhrishtadyumna in their van, looked magnificent as


