Having covered many warriors with arrows and deprived them of life, behold those combatants, endued with activity longing for victory, and swelling with rage, are once more proceeding for battle against their antagonists. Others are running hither and thither on the field. Being begged for water by fallen heroes, others related to them have gone in quest of drink. Many, O Arjuna, are breathing their last meanwhile. Returning their brave relatives, seeing them become senseless are throwing down the water they brought and are running wildly, shouting at one another. Behold, many have died after having slaked their thirst, and many, O Bharata, are dying while drinking. Others, though affectionate towards relatives, are still seen to rush towards foes in great battle deserting their dear relatives. Others, again, O best of men, biting their nether lips, and with faces rendered terrible in consequence of the contraction of their brows, are surveying the field all around.” While saying these words unto Arjuna, Vasudeva proceeded towards Yudhishthira.
Arjuna also, beholding the king in that great battle, repeatedly urged Govinda, saying, “Proceed, Proceed.” Having shown the field of battle to Partha, Madhava, while proceeding quickly, slowly said unto Partha once more, “Behold those kings rushing towards king Yudhishthira. Behold Karna, who resembles a blazing fire, on the arena of the battle. Yonder the mighty-bowman Bhima is proceeding to battle. They that are the foremost among the Pancalas, the Srinjayas, and the Pandavas–they, that is, that have Dhrishtadyumna for their head, are following Bhima. The vast army of the enemy is again broken by the rushing Parthas. Behold, O Arjuna, Karna is trying to rally the flying Kauravas. Resembling the Destroyer himself in impetuosity and Indra himself in prowess, yonder proceedeth Drona’s son, O thou of Kuru’s race, that hero who is the foremost of all wielders of weapons.
The mighty carwarrior Dhrishtadyumna is rushing against that hero. The Srinjayas are following the lead of Dhristadyumna. Behold, the Srinjayas are falling.” Thus did the invincible Vasudeva describe everything unto the diadem-decked Arjuna. Then, O king, commenced a terrible and awful battle. Loud leonine shouts arose as the two hosts encountered each other, O monarch, making death their goal. Even thus, O king, in consequence of thy evil counsels, did that destruction set in on Earth, O lord of Earth, of both thy warriors and those of the enemy.'”
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“Sanjaya said, ‘Then the Kurus and the Srinjayas once more fearlessly encountered each other in battle, the Parthas being headed by Yudhishthira, and ourselves headed by the Suta’s son. Then commenced a terrible battle, making the hair to stand on end, between Karna and the Pandavas, that increased the population of Yama’s kingdom. After that furious battle, producing rivers of blood, had commenced, and when a remnant only of the brave samsaptakas, O Bharata, were left unslaughtered, Dhrishtadyumna, O monarch, with all the kings (on the Pandava side) and those mighty car-warriors–the Pandavas themselves, all rushed against Karna only. Like the mountain receiving a vast body of water, Karna, unaided by anyone, received in that battle all those advancing warriors filled with joy and longing for victory. Those mighty car-warriors encountering Karna, were beat off and broken like a mass of water, and beat back on all sides when it encounters a mountain. The battle, however, that took place between them and Karna made the hair stand on end.
Then Dhrishtadyumna assailed the son of Radha with a straight shaft in that battle, and addressing him said, “Wait, Wait.” The mighty car-warrior Karna, filled with rage, shook his foremost of bows called Vijaya, and cutting off the bow of Dhrishtadyumna, as also his arrows resembling snakes of virulent poison assailed Dhrishtadyumna himself with nine arrows. Those arrows, O sinless one, piercing through the gold-decked armour of the high-souled son of Prishata, became bathed in blood and looked beautiful like so many cochineal. The mighty car-warrior Dhrishtadyumna, casting aside that broken bow, took up another bow and a number of shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison. With those straight shafts numbering seventy, he pierced Karna. Similarly, O king, Karna, in that battle, covered Prishata’s son, that scorcher of foes, with many shafts resembling snakes of virulent poison. The slayer of Drona, that great bowman, retaliated by piercing Karna with many keen shafts. Filled with rage, Karna then, O monarch, sped at his antagonist a gold-decked shaft that resembled a second rod of death.
That terrible shaft, O monarch, as it coursed impetuously towards Prishata’s son, the grandson of Sini, O king, cut off into seven fragments, displaying great lightness of hand. Beholding his shaft baffled by the arrows of Satyaki, O king, Karna resisted Satyaki with showers of arrows from every side. And he pierced Satyaki in that encounter with seven clothyard shafts. The grandson of Sini, however, pierced him in return with many arrows decked with gold. The battle then that took place, O king, between those two warriors was such as to fill both spectators and listeners with fear. Though awful, soon it became beautiful and deserving objects of sight. Beholding the feats, in that encounter, of Karna and the grandson of Sini, the hair of all the creatures there present seemed to stand on end. Meanwhile the mighty son of Drona rushed against Prishata’s son, that chastiser of foes and queller of the prowess of all enemies. Filled with rage, Drona’s son, that subjugator of hostile towns, addressing Dhrishtadyumna, said, “Wait, wait, O slayer of a Brahmana, thou shalt not escape me today with life.”
Having said these words, that mighty car-warrior of great lightness of hand striving resolutely, deeply pierced the brave son of Prishata, who also strove to the utmost of his prowess, with many keen and terrible shafts endued with great impetuosity. As Drona (while alive), beholding the son of Prishata, O sire, had become cheerless and regarded him as his death, even so the son of Prishata, that slayer of hostile heroes, beholding Drona’s son in that battle, now regarded him as his death. Soon, however, remembering that he was unslayable in battle by means of weapons, he rushed with great speed against Drona’s son, like the Destroyer running against the Destroyer at the time of the universal dissolution. Drona’s heroic son, however, O monarch, beholding Dhrishtadyumna stationed before him, drew deep breaths, in wrath, and rushed towards him. Both of them were filled with great rage at the sight of each other. Endued with great activity, the valiant son of Drona then, O monarch, said these words unto Dhrishtadyumna staying not far from him, “O wretch amongst the Pancalas, I shall today despatch thee to Yama.
The sin thou hast committed before by slaying Drona will fill thee today with regret, to thy great evil, if thou stayest in battle without being protected by Partha, or if thou dost not fly away, O fool, I tell thee truly.” Thus addressed, the valiant Dhrishtadyumna replied, saying, “That same sword of mine which answered thy sire, resolutely engaged in battle, will today answer this speech of thine. If Drona could be slain by me, O thou that art a Brahmana in name only, why should I not then, putting forth my prowess, slay thee also in battle today?” Having said these words, the wrathful commander of the Pandava forces, viz., the son of Prishata, pierced Drona’s son with a keen arrow. Then Drona’s son filled with great rage, shrouded every side of Dhrishtadyumna, O king, in that battle, with straight arrows. Shrouded with thousands of arrows, neither the welkin, nor the points of the compass, nor the combatants all around, could, O monarch, be any longer seen. Similarly, the son of Prishata, O king, shrouded Drona’s son, that ornament of battle, with arrows, in the very sight of Karna.
