08.016
Dhritarashtra said:
Sanjaya, when Pandya was killed in battle, what actions did Arjuna take? The enemies were routed by the lone warrior Karna.
The son of Pandu, having completed his education, is strong, engaged, and heroic, and is permitted by the great soul Shankara among all beings.
Therefore, tell me, Sanjaya, about the great and intense fear that arose from Dhananjaya, the enemy-slayer, and what Partha did there.
Sanjaya said:
When Pāṇḍya was killed, Krishna quickly spoke to Arjuna with beneficial advice. He pointed out the very proud king and the retreating Pāṇḍavas.
Vasudeva, the invincible one, narrated to Arjuna that Ashwatthama's intention led to the Srinjayas being killed by Karna, and there was also a great slaughter of horses, men, and elephants.
Upon witnessing and hearing about the immense and terrifying fear of his brother, Pāṇḍava instructed Hṛṣīkeśa to swiftly drive the horses.
Then Hṛṣīkeśa departed on his chariot without opposition. Once more, a fierce encounter manifested there.
Then, O best of kings, the battle between Karna and the Pandavas resumed, furthering the cause of death.
The warriors were equipped with bows, arrows, iron clubs, black iron clubs and spears, pestles, missiles, and various weapons like spears, lances, and axes.
The warriors, armed with maces, javelins, swords, spears, clubs, and great hooks, quickly approached each other, eager for victory.
With the sound of the bowstring and arrows, they filled the sky, directions, and earth with echoes, advancing towards their enemies.
With that great sound, the elated heroes engaged in a fierce battle with other heroes, aiming to overcome the terrible conflict.
The battlefield echoed with the sounds of bowstrings and bows, the trumpeting of elephants, and the loud cries of those who were struck and falling.
Upon hearing the diverse sounds of arrows and the roaring of the heroes, they were greatly shaken, struck down, and fainted, O Bhārata.
Karna, the great charioteer, amidst the noise and shower of weapons, crushed many with his arrows in the battle.
Karṇa, with his arrows, sent fifteen chariots of the Pāñcāla heroes, along with their horses, charioteers, and banners, to the abode of Yama.
The chief warriors of the Pandavas, known for their great valor, surrounded Karna in battle with swift weapons, covering the sky from all directions.
Then Karna, like a leader of a herd entering a lotus pond filled with birds, agitated the enemy army with showers of arrows.
Radheya (Karna), leaping into the midst of his foes, wielded his excellent bow and, with sharp arrows, shattered their heads, causing them to fall.
The poison could not affect the second bird, as if cutting through armor and extinguishing the embodied.
The warrior, with his armor, body, and life churned by the dislodged arrows from the bow, struck down the horses with the strokes of the bowstring as if using a whip.
Karna, with the might of a lion, brought the Pandus, Srinjayas, and Panchalas within the range of his arrows and crushed them as if they were mere herds of deer.
Then the sons of Panchala, the sons of Draupadi, the twins, and Yuyudhana together approached Karna, O great one.
The Kurus, Pandavas, and Srinjayas, engaged in intense struggle, left behind their loved ones and lives on the battlefield, and the warriors advanced towards each other.
The great charioteers, well-armored and adorned with helmets, wield maces, clubs, and iron bars.
The gods, with great intensity, rushed forward as if wielding raised clubs, roaring, challenging, and leaping, O gentle one.
Then they killed each other and fell, struck in battle, vomiting blood from their limbs, their eyes devoid of consciousness in the battle.
The faces, filled with teeth and blood, looked like pomegranates. They stood as if alive, supported by weapons.
They attacked each other with spears, swords, lances, clubs, nails, javelins, and spears.
In their anger, they cut, split, pierced, and threw. Others cut into pieces, killed, and tore apart with fury.
They fell, slain by each other, lifeless and smeared with blood, flowing their own essence, naturally red like sandalwood.
Chariots were struck down by other chariots, elephants by elephants, men by great men, and horses by horses in their thousands.
Flags, heads, umbrellas, elephant trunks, and arms of men were severed by razors and crescent-shaped arrows, and the weapons were left behind.
In the battle, men, elephants, chariots, and horses were crushed; heroes and horsemen were killed, and elephants had their trunks severed.
The banners with flags fell, shattered like mountains. The elephants and chariots, having been jumped upon by foot soldiers, also fell.
The horse riders, struck and being killed, fell everywhere. Having reached quickly, they were killed by foot soldiers. Meanwhile, the groups of foot soldiers, slain by horsemen, lie on the battlefield.
The faces of the slain appeared like crushed lotuses, and their bodies resembled withered garlands, O wise one.
O king, the excessively desirable forms of elephants, horses, and men became like elevated garments, attaining supreme invisibility.
