07.142
Pancharatra and Core: In the encounter between Sahadeva and Karna, Sahadeva is allowed to escape from Karna because of the promise given to Kunti. But Karna insults Sahadeva with harsh words. Battle begins between Shalya and Virata. Shalya kills Virata's brother Shatānīka. Facing defeat, Virata retreats. When Arjuna rallies the retreating Pandava army, demon Alambusa fights him, but in vain.

Sanjaya said:

Then, as Sahadeva approached with the desire to confront Drona, Karna, the son of Vikartana, intercepted him in battle, O Bharata.

Sahadeva, however, struck Radheya with nine swift arrows and then again pierced him with ten sharp, bent-jointed arrows.

Karna attacked him with a hundred arrows that had bent joints, and swiftly severed his strung bow as if he had a light hand.

Then, the valiant son of Mādri took another bow and pierced Karna with twenty arrows, which seemed quite astonishing.

Karṇa, after slaying the horses with his curved arrows, swiftly dispatched the charioteer to the realm of Yama with a sharp arrow.

Sahadeva, having lost his chariot, armed himself with a sword and shield. However, Karna, with a smile, shot arrows that pierced him.

Then he hurled the massive, fearsome, gold-embellished mace at Karna's chariot during the battle.

Karna, with his arrows, suddenly stopped her advance, who was sent by Sahadeva, and brought her down to the ground.

Upon witnessing the destruction of the mace, Sahadeva swiftly threw a spear at Karna, but Karna managed to cut it off with his arrows.

With great agitation, Sahadeva quickly jumped down from the excellent chariot. O great king, having seen Karna standing, he grabbed the chariot wheel and released it towards Adhiratha.

The son of Suta swiftly intercepted the approaching figure, likened to the raised wheel of time, with a barrage of thousands of arrows.

In the false plan devised by the great soul, Sahadeva, obstructed by arrows, withdrew from the battle.

Karna, after approaching him and waiting for a moment, spoke with a smile to Sahadeva, addressing him as the best of the Bharatas and lord of the people.

Do not engage in battle with those who are superior, O hero. Fight with those who are your equals, O son of Madri. Trust in my words and do not doubt them.

Then, piercing him with the tip of the bow, he spoke again: "This is Arjuna, engaged in battle, fighting alongside the Kauravas. Go there, O son of Madri, or go home if you wish."

After speaking thus, Karna, the greatest among charioteers, left with a smile towards the armies of the Panchalas and Pandavas.

O king, the great charioteer, true to his promise, did not kill the son of Madri, who was destined to be killed, in battle, remembering the words of Kunti.

Sahadeva, feeling distressed and tormented by the arrows and harsh words of Karna, became disillusioned with life, O King.

The great chariot-warrior, with speed, ascended the chariot of the noble son of Pāñcāla, Janamejaya, in the battle.

Virata, along with his army, quickly arrived for Drona. However, the king of Madra covered the archer with a shower of arrows.

A battle took place between the strong archers, just as it had happened in the past between Jambha and Indra, O king.

The great King of Madra swiftly struck Virata, the commander of the army, with a hundred sharp, bent-jointed arrows.

The king struck him with nine sharp arrows, then again with seventy-three, and furthermore with a hundred.

The king of Madra, after slaying four horses of the chariot, made the charioteer and the flag fall from the chariot seat during the battle.

The great warrior quickly jumped down from the chariot with its destroyed horses, stood firm, stretching his bow and releasing sharp arrows.

Śatānīka, upon seeing his brother's vehicle destroyed, quickly rushed forward in his chariot as everyone watched.

Then, in the great battle, the king of Madra pierced Shatānīka with many arrows and sent him to the abode of Yama.

But when the hero was slain, Virata, the best of charioteers, quickly ascended the chariot adorned with a banner.

Then, in a fit of anger, he opened his eyes wide, doubled his strength, and swiftly covered the chariot of the Madra king with arrows.

Then the enraged king of Madra struck Virata, the commander of the army, firmly on the chest with a hundred bent arrows.

The great king, deeply pierced by arrows, sat down on the chariot seat. Virata, the bull among the Bharatas, was overcome by intense faintness and distress. His charioteer carried him away from the battlefield, as he was severely wounded by arrows.

Then, O Bharata, that great army fled during the night, being struck down by hundreds of arrows from Śalya, who shone in battle.

Upon witnessing the retreat of the army, Vasudeva and Dhananjaya moved to the location where King Shalya was stationed.

The two of them, indeed, O king, the demon king Alambusa, went forth having mounted the excellent chariot equipped with eight wheels.

The great chariot, joined with horse faces and terrible-looking demons, adorned with blood-soaked banners and red garlands, made of black iron and covered with bear skin, appeared fearsome.

The king of vultures, with fierce and variegated wings, open eyes, and cawing, shone with a flag and uplifted beak.

The demon appeared as a mass of broken collyrium, O king, and blocked Arjuna, who was approaching like the wind, as a mountain king would. He showered hundreds of arrows upon Arjuna's head, O king.

A fierce battle took place between humans and demons, delighting all the onlookers, O best of the Bharatas.

Arjuna, using a hundred arrows, struck fiercely and then cut down the raised flag with nine sharp arrows.

He struck the charioteer with three arrows and the threefold flute with three arrows. With one arrow, he cut the bow, and with four arrows, he cut the four horses. He then cut the raised sword of the chariotless warrior in two with an arrow.

Then Arjuna, the best of the Bharatas, struck the demon lord with four sharp arrows, causing him to flee in fear.

After defeating his opponents, Arjuna swiftly moved towards Drona, releasing a barrage of arrows upon the warriors, elephants, and horses, O king.

The soldiers, being slain by the glorious Pandava, fell to the ground like trees felled by the wind, O great king.

As Arjuna, the great soul, destroyed them, the entire army of your sons, O lord of the people, fled.