resolution rushed against me like a prince of elephants
against a lion, and desired to rescue, O monarch,
the Kaurava car-warriors that were being slaughtered
by me. Then, in that battle, O Bharata, the preceptor’s
son, that foremost of heroes among the Kurus, incapable
of being made to tremble, began to afflict me and
Janardana with whetted shafts resembling poison or
fire. While engaged in battle with me, eight
carts, each drawn by eight bullocks, carried his hundreds
of arrows. He shot them all at me, but like a
wind destroying the clouds I destroyed with my shafts
that arrowy shower of his. He then shot at me,
with skill and force and resolution, thousands of
other arrows, all sped from his bow-string stretched
to his very ear, even like a black cloud in the season
of rains pouring in torrents the water with which it
is charged. So quickly did Drona’s son
career in that battle that we could not discern from
which side, the left or the right, he shot his arrows,
nor could we notice when he took up his arrows and
when he let them off. Indeed, the bow of Drona’s
son was seen by us to be incessantly drawn to a circle.
At last, the son of Drona pierced me with five whetted
arrows and Vasudeva also with five whetted arrows.
Within the twinkling of an eye, however, I afflicted
him with the force of thunderbolts. Exceedingly
afflicted with those shafts sped by me, he soon assumed
the form of a porcupine. All his limbs became
bathed in blood. Beholding his troops, those
foremost of warriors all covered with blood and overwhelmed
by me, he then entered the car-division of the Suta’s
son. Seeing the troops overwhelmed by me in battle,
and struck with fear, and beholding the elephants
and steeds flying away, that grinder (of hostile hosts),
viz., Karna approached me quickly with fifty
great carwarriors. Slaying them all and avoiding
Karna, I have quickly come hither for seeing thee.
All the Pancalas are afflicted with fear at sight
of Karna like kine at the scent of a lion. The
Prabhadrakas also, O king, having approached Karna,
are like persons that have entered the wide open jaws
of Death. Karna has already despatched to Yama’s
abode full seventeen hundred of those distressed car-warriors.
Indeed, O king, the Suta’s son did not become
cheerless till he had a sight of us. Thou hadst
first been engaged with Ashvatthama and exceedingly
mangled by him. I heard that after that thou
wert seen by Karna. O thou of inconceivable feats,
I thought that thou must have, O king, been enjoying
rest (in the camp), having come away from the cruel
Karna. I have seen, O son of Pandu, the great
and wonderful (Bhargava) weapon of Karna displayed
in the van of battle. There is now no other warrior
among the Srinjayas that is able to resist the mighty
car-warrior Karna. Let Sini’s grandson Satyaki
and Dhrishtadyumna, O king, be the protectors of my
car-wheels. Let the heroic princes Yudhamanyu
and Uttamauja protect my rear. O thou of great
glory, encountering that heroic and invincible car-warrior,


