08.042
Pancharatra and Core: Karna stood alone against the onslaught of the Pandava army, while Ashwatthama attacked Dhṛṣṭadyumna; instructed by Krishna, Arjuna rescued Dhṛṣṭadyumna from Ashwatthama; Karna wanted to take on Arjuna, but Arjuna moves towards the Samsaptakas.
Sanjaya said:
Then once more, the fearless Kurus and Srinjayas gathered, led by Yudhishthira and the sons of Pritha, while we were led by Karna.
Then the fierce and hair-raising battle began between Karna and the Pandavas, which increased the domain of Yama.
In that fierce and bloody battle that had commenced, among the warriors who had sworn to fight, a few heroes remained, O Bharata.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, accompanied by all the kings, charged at Karna, while the Pandavas, the great warriors, also joined the attack.
Karṇa, like a mountain withstanding floods, stood alone against those who came joyfully seeking victory in battle.
The great charioteers approached Karna and were scattered, like floods of water dispersing in all directions upon hitting a mountain. O great king, a hair-raising battle ensued between them.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, in anger, struck Karna with a bent-jointed arrow and said, "Stay, stay!"
Vijaya, the great chariot-warrior, wielding the best of bows, cut down the bow of the son of Prishata and, in his rage, struck him with nine arrows that were like venomous snakes.
They pierced the golden armor of the great soul and shone with blood, resembling the guards of Indra, O sinless one.
Dhrishtadyumna, the great charioteer, discarded his broken bow, took another one along with serpent-like arrows, and pierced Karna with seventy of them, each having curved joints.
In the same manner, O king, Karna attacked Parshata, the tormentor of enemies and foe of Drona, with his sharp arrows.
Karṇa, in his anger, sent the golden-ornamented arrow as if it were another death sentence, O great king.
The son of Śini skillfully cut the approaching terrible figure into seven parts, O king.
Upon seeing the arrow positioned, Karna, the lord of the people, enveloped Satyaki with a barrage of arrows from every direction.
In the battle, he struck him with seven iron arrows, and in return, the son of Śini struck him with arrows decorated with gold.
Then, O king, the battle became extremely terrifying to behold and hear, both dreadful and marvelous, and a spectacle in every direction.
All the beings there experienced horripilation. O king, upon seeing the actions of Karna and Shainya in battle.
During this time, the mighty son of Drona approached the son of Prishata, who was known for subduing enemies and destroying the life force of enemy heroes.
Aśvatthāmā, filled with rage, called out to Arjuna from afar: "Halt, halt, O killer of a Brahmin, today you shall not leave alive from my presence."
Having spoken thus, the valiant hero swiftly covered Pārṣata, the son of Pṛṣata, with sharp, terrible-looking, well-feathered arrows. The great chariot warrior was striving with supreme power.
In the battle, just as Drona's son looked at Parshata, O great one, similarly, seeing Drona's son in the battle, Parshata, the slayer of enemy heroes, not very pleased in mind, contemplates his own death.
Aśvatthāmā, upon seeing Dhṛṣṭadyumna standing in the battlefield, became enraged and attacked him. Both of them, upon seeing each other, were filled with intense excitement.
Then the powerful son of Droṇa, in haste, addressed the nearby Dhṛṣṭadyumna, saying, "O great king, lord of men, I shall send you to your death at the hands of the lowly Pāñcālas."
The sin you committed by killing Droṇa in the past will catch up with you today, rendering you ineffective.
If you, unprotected by Arjuna, stand in battle and do not retreat, O fool, I tell you this truth.
Upon being addressed in this manner, the powerful Dhṛṣṭadyumna replied: "Indeed, my sword will provide you with a response, the same sword given to your father for his efforts in battle."
If I could kill Droṇa, who claimed to be a Brahmin, then how can I not defeat you now in battle with my prowess?
After speaking thus, the indignant general, O great king, pierced Ashwatthama, the son of Drona, with a sharp arrow.
Then, in the battle, Droṇa, filled with intense anger, covered all directions with his arrows, O king, targeting Dhṛṣṭadyumna.
O great king, neither the sky nor the directions nor the warriors all around can be seen, as they are covered by thousands of arrows.
In the same manner, the son of Prishata, the king, enveloped Drona's son, who was resplendent in battle, with arrows as Karna looked on.
Karna, O great king, single-handedly held back the Panchalas along with the Pandavas, the sons of Draupadi, Yudhamanyu, and the great chariot-warrior Satyaki, displaying admirable skill all around.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, in the battle, cut the bow of Droṇa's son. After discarding the broken bow, he took another one and swiftly shot terrible arrows that were like serpents.
In a moment, he, O king, scattered with arrows the bow, spear, mace, flag, horses, charioteer, and chariot of the son of Prishata.
He, having his bow broken, chariot destroyed, horses and charioteer slain, took up a large, shining sword adorned with a hundred moon-like spots.
Even then, O King, Drona's son, the great chariot warrior, quickly and skillfully cut with arrows in battle, appearing as if it was a wonderful feat, without descending from his chariot.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, despite being a great chariot warrior and striving hard, could not cross the battlefield as his chariot was destroyed, his horses were killed, his bow was broken, and he was pierced and shattered by numerous arrows and weapons, O best of the Bharatas.
O king, when Aśvatthāmā could not achieve his end with arrows, he, the hero, abandoned his bow and quickly pursued Pārṣata (Sṛñjaya).
O king, the speed of that great soul, as he ran, was akin to Garuda's flight when he sought to capture the finest serpent.
At that moment, Madhava spoke to Arjuna, "Look, O Partha, how Drona's son is making a great effort to kill the son of Prishata, and he will surely succeed."
O mighty-armed one, release the son of Prishata, the scorcher of foes, who has fallen into the clutches of Drona's son, as if he has entered the jaws of death.
After speaking thus, O great king, the mighty Vasudeva sent the horses to the place where Ashwatthama, the son of Drona, was positioned.
The horses, shining like the moon and driven by Keshava, galloped towards Ashwatthama's chariot as if they were drinking up the sky.
Upon seeing the mighty Krishna and Arjuna approaching, the powerful one made efforts to kill Dhrishtadyumna, O king.
Upon witnessing Dhṛṣṭadyumna being dragged, Arjuna, the mighty one, sent arrows towards Aśvatthāmā, O lord of the people.
The golden arrows, shot with great force from Gandiva, struck Ashwatthama and penetrated him like snakes entering an anthill.
The valiant son of Drona, overwhelmed by Dhananjaya's fierce arrows, climbed onto his chariot. Grasping his finest bow, he shot arrows at Partha.
During this time, the brave Sahadeva, a king, took Pārṣata, the tormentor of enemies, away in his chariot during the battle.
Arjuna, O great king, attacked Drona's son with arrows, and in return, the enraged son of Drona struck Arjuna in the arms and chest.
In the battle, an angry Arjuna hurled an arrow, as powerful as time itself, at Drona's son. It struck the Brahmin's shoulder with great radiance.
The great king, overwhelmed by the speed of arrows during the battle, sat down on his chariot seat and fell into deep despair.
Then Karṇa, O great king, stretched his bow named Vijaya, repeatedly looking at Arjuna in anger, desiring a duel with him in the great battle.
The charioteer, known for tormenting enemies, quickly left the slain hero and carried him away from the battlefield in his chariot.
Then, O great king, the Panchalas and the victorious Kashi people exclaimed as they saw the son of Prishata released and the son of Drona afflicted.
Thousands of divine musical instruments were played, and a lion's roar arose upon witnessing the terrible and great wonder.
After completing his actions, Arjuna addressed Krishna, urging him to proceed towards the Samsaptakas, emphasizing that this was his utmost duty.
Then the descendant of the Daśārhas, upon hearing the words of the Pāṇḍavas, departed swiftly in his chariot adorned with a grand flag, moving as fast as the mind and wind.
