07.154
Pancharatra and Core: When the Kaurava army was in a state of distress, Karna was compelled to use the celestial weapon Vaijayanti, with which Ghatotkacha was killed.
Sanjaya said:
After killing the demon Alayudha, Ghatotkacha, filled with joy, stood at the forefront of the army and let out a variety of roars.
Upon hearing that tumultuous sound that shook the elephants, your people, O great king, were seized with a profound and terrible fear.
Karna, with his mighty arms, attacked the Panchalas upon seeing the powerful Bhimasena aligned with Alayudha.
Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi were struck by ten arrows each, which were firm and fully drawn, with bent joints.
Then, Yudhāmanyu, Uttamaujas, and Satyaki, the great chariot warrior, were shaken by the excellent arrows.
As they practiced there, O ruler of men, circles of bows were clearly visible on both the left and right sides.
The sounds of their bowstrings and chariot wheels were tumultuous at night, resembling the roar of clouds at the end of summer.
The battlefield was filled with the thunderous sound of bows, resembling thunder and lightning. The arrows rained down like a storm, and the scene was like a battle cloud, O King.
The son of Vikartana, like an unshakeable mountain, destroyed the great rain of enemy forces in battle, O king, crushing the groups of enemies.
Then, the great Karna, devoted to the welfare of your son, used his sharp, thunderbolt-like arrows, adorned with golden feathers, to drive away the enemies in battle.
Some flag-bearers were cut down and broken; some bodies were pierced and shattered by arrows. Some horses were scattered, and some were quickly dealt with by Dvaikartana.
Unable to find peace in the battle, they sought the strength of Yudhishthira. Observing them shattered and demoralized, Ghatotkacha was filled with intense anger.
Mounted on the splendid chariot decorated with gold and jewels, he roared like a lion. Then, approaching Karna, he struck him with arrows that resembled thunderbolts.
The two warriors filled the sky with a barrage of sharp-pointed arrows, reed shafts, calf teeth, boar ears, horned tips, and razor showers, creating a formidable spectacle.
The sky, filled with streams of arrows moving crosswise, shone in the battle with the radiance of golden-feathered, blazing arrows, resembling garlands of varied flowers.
Indeed, those two warriors of unmatched prowess fought each other with the best of weapons, and no one could discern any difference between them in that battle.
The battle was extremely wonderful and beautiful; it became chaotic and terrifying with the fall of weapons, resembling the heated celestial battle between Rahu and the Sun's radiant sons in the sky.
When Ghatotkacha could not distinguish Karna, O king, he then manifested a fierce weapon, being the best among those who know weapons.
Using that weapon, the demon Hidimba first killed Karna's horses and the charioteer, then quickly vanished.
Dhritarashtra spoke:
Thus, when that deceptive warrior demon was hidden, tell me, Sanjaya, what my men did.
Sanjaya said:
Realizing that the demon was concealed, the entire Kuru army exclaimed: "How could this deceptive warrior, who remains unseen, slay Karṇa in the battle?"
Then Karna, the skilled warrior with bright weapons, covered all directions with a barrage of arrows. Indeed, nothing could move there, as everything was shrouded in darkness by the arrows in the sky.
The son of a charioteer, without taking or fixing arrows, nor touching the quiver with his fingertips, was seen due to his agility, covering the entire sky with arrows.
Then we observe a terrifying illusion in the sky, crafted by the demon, appearing like a red cloud and blazing like a fierce flame.
Then lightning appeared from her, and blazing meteors as well, O king of the Kauravas. Another very terrible sound arose, like thousands of drums resounding.
Then, arrows with golden feathers fell, followed by spears, javelins, clubs, and other weapons. Battle-axes and oil-polished swords with blazing tips, along with lances and pikes, descended.
Radiant iron clubs bound with iron, varied maces, and sharp-edged spears appeared all around. Heavy maces bound with gold bands and hundred-killers were present everywhere.
Great rocks fell there in thousands, accompanied by thunderbolts and numerous hundreds of razors, appearing brilliant like fire.
Karna could not stop the massive and fiery rain of weapons, including power, stones, axes, javelins, swords, thunderbolts, lightning, and clubs, that was falling down.
A tremendous noise arose from the falling of horses struck by arrows, elephants struck by thunderbolts, and great chariots struck by rocks.
Duryodhana's army, attacked from all sides by Ghatotkacha with a terrifying array of weapons, appeared to be in a state of distress, moving and wandering aimlessly.
The valiant men, despite the distress and dejection surrounding them, did not turn away due to their noble nature.
Upon witnessing the terrifying demoness and the dreadful rain of mighty weapons descending, along with the forces being struck down, a profound fear gripped your sons.
The auspicious beings, with tongues blazing like fire and making terrifying sounds, roared in hundreds. Observing the roaring demon groups, the king's warriors became distressed.
They, terrifying with blazing tongues and sharp teeth, moved through the sky with bodies like mountains, wielding weapons in their hands, like clouds releasing rain.
Struck by them with arrows, spears, tridents, fierce maces, blazing clubs, thunderbolts, bows, thunderbolt strikes, and discs, crushed by hundred-killers, they fell to the ground.
Catapults, slingshots, stone missiles, and deadly weapons rained down upon your son's army, causing a terrible confusion to arise.
The battlefield is strewn with the bodies of heroes whose entrails are torn out and heads smashed. Horses and elephants lie broken and crushed, while chariots are shattered by rocks.
Thus, the demons with terrifying forms on earth created a great rain of weapons and illusions through Ghatotkacha, who did not release the begging one, nor was he afraid.
In that dreadful battle of the Kuru heroes, when the time had come for the Kshatriyas to be absent, all the Kauravas, broken and suddenly fleeing, cried out.
"Flee, O Kurus, for this is not the place; the gods, along with Indra, are slaying us for the Pandavas' cause. Thus, as the Bharatas were drowning, there was indeed no island there."
In the midst of that tumultuous uproar, as the army of the Kurus was breaking and disappearing, amidst the division of troops in the darkness, neither the Kurus nor others could be recognized.
In a terrifying form, without boundaries, all directions seemed empty as they observed. O king, I saw Karna there, entering the rain of weapons with his chest.
Then, the charioteer's son, with arrows, covered the sky, fighting against the divine illusion of the demon. Despite performing the difficult and noble deeds, he remained composed and was not confused in the battle.
Then, in fear, all the Sindhus and Bahlika people looked at Karna, O king, honoring his clarity in battle and witnessing the demon's victory.
The hundred-killer weapon, equipped with wheels, was released by him and it simultaneously killed all four horses. They fell to the ground on their knees, lifeless, with their teeth, eyes, and tongues missing.
Then, the charioteer, having descended from the slain horses, remained resolute in mind even as the Kurus fled and the divine weapon was being nullified by illusion, not losing composure while contemplating the opportune moment.
Then all the Kurus, upon seeing Karna and the terrible illusion, said: 'Quickly use your power to slay the demon from Karna; otherwise, these sons of Dhritarashtra, the Kurus, will perish.'
What will Bhima and Arjuna do for us? Kill this demon burning at night. He who releases us from the terrible form of battle, may he fight the sons of Pritha in battle.
Therefore, use the weapon given by Indra to slay this terrible demon. Do not let the Kauravas, who are all like Indra, enter with their warriors at the onset of night.
At midnight, as he was being attacked by the demon, Karna saw the army being destroyed and heard the great sound of the Kauravas. He resolved to release his weapon.
He, extremely angry and intolerant like a lion, could not tolerate the opposition in battle from him. Desiring to kill him, he took up the best and unbearable weapon, Vaijayanti.
O King, that weapon which was placed for many years and honored in the battle of Arjuna, was indeed given by Indra to Karna, the best weapon fashioned with earrings.
Vaikartana sent that blazing weapon, equipped with nooses, resembling the night of death, like a burning meteor, to the demon.
Upon seeing her, the formidable destroyer of others, blazing on Sauti's arm, the terrified demon fled, O king, shrinking himself to the size of the Vindhya's foot.
Upon witnessing the power within Karna's arm, the celestial beings roared in the sky, O king. The winds blew tumultuously, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and descended to the earth.
She destroyed the illusion by turning it into ashes and pierced the demon's heart deeply. Then, shining brightly, she ascended into the night sky, moving through the spaces between the stars.
The divine hero, having fought with various groups of weapons alongside humans and demons, roaring terrifying sounds, abandoned the desired lives by the power of Indra.
This and another astonishing act was performed by him for the destruction of his enemies. At that moment, with his vital parts pierced by the spear, he shone brilliantly, O king, like a cloud and a mountain.
Then, the lifeless lord of demons fell from the sky to the ground with his body shattered. Ghatotkacha, head down, with stiff limbs and without a tongue, assumed a great form.
He, in that terrifying form, performed terrible deeds and, having done Bhima's act, the son of Bhimasena fell. Even when slain, a part of your army crushed the Kauravas, instilling fear in them.
Then, the Kauravas, joyful upon seeing the burnt illusion and the slain demon, roared with a mixture of lion-roars, drums, conches, kettledrums, and small drums.
Then Karna, honored by the Kauravas like Indra by the Maruts during Vritra's slaying, ascended your son on the chariot and joyfully returned to his army.
