of wicked understanding who in the assembly; before the Kuru chiefs, had addressed Krishna, saying, ’Why, O Krishna, dost thou not abandon the Pandavas that are divested of might, exceedingly weak, and fallen?’ That Karna who had vowed for thy sake, saying that he would not return from battle without having slain Krishna and Partha.  I ask, doth that Karna of sinful understanding lie today on the field, his body pierced with shafts?  Thou knowest the nature of the battle that took place when the Srinjayas and the Kauravas encountered each other, the battle in which I was brought to that distressful plight.  Encountering that Karna, hast thou slain him today?  O Savyasaci, hast thou today, with blazing shafts sped from gandiva, cut off from the trunk of that Karna of wicked understanding his resplendent head decked with earrings?  Pierced with Karna’s shafts today, I had, O hero, thought of thee (that thou wouldst slay him)!  Hast thou then, by the slaughter of Karna, made that thought of mine true?  In consequence of the protection granted him by Karna, Suyodhana, filled with pride, always recked us little.  Displaying thy prowess, hast then today destroyed that refuge of Suyodhana?  That Suta’s son of wicked soul, that Karna of great wrath, who had formerly, in the presence of the Kauravas and in the midst of the assembly called us sesame seeds without kernel, encountering that Karna in battle, hast thou slain him today?  That Suta’s son of wicked soul who had, laughing the while, commanded Duhshasana to forcibly drag Yajnasena’s daughter won in gambling by Subala’s son, hath he been slain today by thee?  That Karna of little understanding who, having been counted as only half a car-warrior during the tale of rathas and atirathas, had upbraided that foremost of all wielders of weapons on Earth, our grandsire Bhishma, hath he been slain by thee?  Extinguish, O Phalguna, this fire in my heart that is born of vindictiveness and is fanned by the wind of humiliation, by telling me that thou hast slain Karna today, having encountered him in battle!  The news of Karna’s slaughter is exceedingly agreeable to me.  Tell me, therefore, how the Suta’s son hath been slain!  Like the divine Vishnu waiting for the arrival of Indra with the intelligence of Vritra’s slaughter, I had so long waited for thee, O hero!"’”

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“Sanjaya said, ’Hearing these words of the righteous king who had been filled with anger, that high-souled atiratha, Jishnu of infinite energy, replied unto the invincible Yudhishthira of great might, saying, “While battling with the samsaptakas today, Drona’s son who always proceedeth at the head of the Kuru troops, O king, suddenly came before me, shooting shafts that resembled snakes of virulent poison.  Beholding my car, of rattle deep as the roar of clouds, all the troops began to encompass it.  Slaying full five hundred of those, I then, O foremost of kings, proceeded against Drona’s son.  Approaching me, O king, that hero with great