08.060
Core and Pancharatra: Karna loses his son, killed by Satyaki. Panchala army under attack by Karna is rescued by Draupadi's sons and Satyaki. Bhima is covering the rear of Arjuna. The intense battle between Bhima and Dushasana begins.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
tataḥ karṇaḥ kuruṣu pradruteṣu; varūthinā śvetahayena rājan। pāñcālaputrānvyadhamatsūtaputro; maheṣubhirvāta ivābhrasaṅghān ॥8-60-1॥
Then, O King, Karna, the son of a charioteer, amidst the fleeing Kauravas, attacked the sons of Panchala with his chariot drawn by white horses, scattering them with his mighty arrows like the wind scatters clouds.
sūtaṃ rathādañjalikena pātya; jaghāna cāśvāñjanamejayasya। śatānīkaṃ sutasomaṃ ca bhallai; ravākiraddhanuṣī cāpyakṛntat ॥8-60-2॥
The charioteer was knocked down from the chariot with a handful of arrows, and the horses of Janamejaya were slain. Śatānīka and Sutasoma were showered with sharp arrows, and their bows were cut off as well.
dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ nirbibhedātha ṣaḍbhi; rjaghāna cāśvaṃ dakṣiṇaṃ tasya saṅkhye। hatvā cāśvānsātyakeḥ sūtaputraḥ; kaikeyaputraṃ nyavadhīdviśokam ॥8-60-3॥
Dhṛṣṭadyumna pierced with six arrows and killed the right horse of his opponent in battle. After killing Satyaki's horses, the son of a charioteer killed the son of Kaikeyi without any sorrow.
tam abhyadhāvan nihate kumāre; kaikeyasenāpatir ugradhanvā। śarair vibhinnaṃ bhṛśam ugravegaiḥ; karṇātmajaṃ so'bhyahanat suṣeṇam ॥8-60-4॥
The Kaikeya general, a fierce bowman, ran towards the slain prince; with arrows of great speed, he greatly pierced and struck Karna's son, Sushena.
tasyārdhacandraistribhiruccakarta; prasahya bāhū ca śiraśca karṇaḥ। sa syandanādgāmapatadgatāsuḥ; paraśvadhaiḥ śāla ivāvarugṇaḥ ॥8-60-5॥
Karṇa, with three crescent-shaped arrows, forcibly severed his arms and head. He fell lifeless from the chariot to the ground, resembling a tree felled by axes.
hatāśvamañjogatibhiḥ suṣeṇaḥ; śinipravīraṃ niśitaiḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ। pracchādya nṛtyanniva sautiputraḥ; śaineyabāṇābhihataḥ papāta ॥8-60-6॥
Suṣeṇa, with his swift speed and after his horses were killed, covered the hero of the Śini clan with sharp arrows. As if dancing, the son of Sūta, struck by Śaineya's arrows, fell down.
putre hate krodhaparītacetāḥ; karṇaḥ śinīnāmṛṣabhaṃ jighāṃsuḥ। hato'si śaineya iti bruvansa; vyavāsṛjadbāṇamamitrasāham ॥8-60-7॥
With his son slain, Karna, overwhelmed with rage, sought to kill the leader of the Shinis, and declared, "You are slain, O Shainya," as he launched his deadly arrow.
sa tasya ciccheda śaraṃ śikhaṇḍī; tribhistribhiśca pratutoda karṇam। śikhaṇḍinaḥ kārmukaṃ sa dhvajaṃ ca; cchittvā śarābhyāmahanatsu-jātam ॥8-60-8॥
Shikhandi cut off his arrow and pierced Karna with six arrows. He then cut off Shikhandi's bow and flag and struck Sujaata with two arrows.
śikhaṇḍinaṃ ṣaḍbhiravidhyadugro; dānto dhārṣṭadyumnaśiraścakarta. athābhinatsutasomaṃ śareṇa; sa saṃśitenādhirathirmahātmā ॥8-60-9॥
The fierce warrior struck Shikhandin with six arrows, and Danta severed Dhrishtadyumna's head. Then, the noble Adhirathi pierced Sutasoma with a sharp arrow.
athākrande tumule vartamāne; dhārṣṭadyumne nihate tatra kṛṣṇaḥ। apāñcālyaṃ kriyate yāhi pārtha; karṇaṃ jahītyabravīdrājasiṃha ॥8-60-10॥
In the midst of the fierce battle, as Dhṛṣṭadyumna was slain, Kṛṣṇa addressed the son of Pāñcāla, urging him, "Proceed, O Arjuna, and defeat Karṇa," declared the kingly lion.
tataḥ prahasyāśu narapravīro; rathaṃ rathenādhiratherjagāma। bhaye teṣāṃ trāṇamicchansubāhu; rabhyāhatānāṃ rathayūthapena ॥8-60-11॥
Then, with a quick smile, the hero among men mounted the chariot of the great charioteer. In their fear, seeking protection, Subahu, who had been struck by Rabhyā, was accompanied by the leader of the chariots.
visphārya gāṇḍīvamathograghoṣaṃ; jyayā samāhatya tale bhṛśaṃ ca। bāṇāndhakāraṃ sahasaiva kṛtvā; jaghāna nāgāśvarathānnarāṃśca ॥8-60-12॥
Arjuna, stretching the Gandiva bow with a thunderous sound, drew the bowstring with great force, and suddenly created a darkness with his arrows, striking down elephants, horses, chariots, and men.
taṁ bhīmaseno'nu yayau rathena; pṛṣṭhe rakṣanpāṇḍavamekavīram। tau rājaputrau tvaritau rathābhyāṁ; karṇāya yātāvaribhirvimuktau ॥8-60-13॥
Bhimasena followed him in a chariot, guarding the lone hero Pandava from behind. The two princes quickly proceeded by chariots towards Karna, having been freed by their foes.
atrāntare sumahatsūtaputraḥ cakre yuddhaṃ somakānsampramṛdnan। rathāśvamātaṅgagaṇāñjaghānaḥ prachādayāmāsa diśaḥ śaraiśca ॥8-60-14॥
Meanwhile, the great son of a charioteer engaged in battle, crushing the Somakas. He destroyed the troops of chariots, horses, and elephants, and covered all directions with his arrows.
tamuttamaujā janamejayaśca; kruddhau yudhāmanyuśikhaṇḍinau ca। karṇaṃ vineduḥ sahitāḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ; saṃmardamānāḥ saha pārṣatena ॥8-60-15॥
Janamejaya, endowed with great energy, along with the furious Yudhāmanyu and Śikhaṇḍin, attacked Karna with arrows, while they were engaged in a fierce struggle with the son of Prishata.
te pañca pāñcālarathāḥ surūpai; rvaikartanaṃ karṇamabhidravantaḥ। tasmādrathāccyāvayituṃ na śeku; rdhairyātkṛtātmānamivendriyāṇi ॥8-60-16॥
The five chariots of the Panchalas, with their beautiful appearance, charged at Vaikartana Karna. However, they could not dislodge him from his chariot, as he was as steadfast as one with self-controlled senses.
teṣāṃ dhanūṃṣi dhvajavājisūtāṃ; stūṇaṃ patākāśca nikṛtya bāṇaiḥ। tānpañcabhiḥ sa tvahanatpṛṣatkaiḥ; karṇastataḥ siṃha ivonnanāda ॥8-60-17॥
Karna, after cutting down their bows, flags, horses, charioteers, poles, and banners with arrows, killed them with five sharp arrows and then roared like a lion.
tasyāsyatastānabhinighnataśca; jyābāṇahastasya dhanuḥsvanena। sādridrumā syātpṛthivī viśīrṇā; ityeva matvā janatā vyaṣīdat ॥8-60-18॥
As he released and struck them, the sound of the bow in his hand, with its bowstring and arrow, made the people think that the earth with its mountains and trees would be shattered; thus, they became despondent.
sa śakracāpapratimena dhanvanā; bhṛśātenādhirathiḥ śarānsṛjan। babhau raṇe dīptamarīcimaṇḍalo; yathāṃśumālī pariveṣavāṃstathā ॥8-60-19॥
He, the great charioteer, wielding a bow like Indra's, swiftly released arrows and shone in the battle like the sun with a halo of blazing rays.
śikhaṇḍinaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ parābhina; cchitaiḥ śaraiḥ ṣaḍbhirathottomaujasam. tribhiryudhāmanyumavidhyadāśugai; stribhistribhiḥ somakapārṣatātmajau ॥8-60-20॥
Shikhandin was struck with twelve arrows, Uttamaujas with six, Yudhāmanyu with three swift arrows, and the sons of Somaka and Parshata with three arrows each.
parājitāḥ pañca mahārathāstu te; mahāhave sūtasutena māriṣa। nirudyamāstasthuramitramardanā; yathendriyārthātmavatā parājitāḥ ॥8-60-21॥
O respected one, the five great warriors were defeated in the great battle by the son of a charioteer. The destroyers of enemies stood inactive, as if defeated by one who has control over his senses.
nimajjatas tān atha karṇasāgare; vipannanāvo vaṇijo yathārṇave। uddadhrire naubhir ivārṇavādrathaiḥ; sukalpitair draupadijāḥ svamātulān ॥8-60-22॥
The sons of Draupadi, like merchants with broken ships drowning in the ocean of Karna, rescued their maternal uncles using well-equipped chariots, akin to ships in the ocean.
tataḥ śinīnāmṛṣabhaḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ; nikṛtya karṇaprahitāniṣūnbahūn। vidārya karṇaṃ niśitairayasmyaiḥ; tavātmajaṃ jyeṣṭhamavidhyadaṣṭabhiḥ ॥8-60-23॥
Then the leader of the Shinis, using sharp arrows, cut off the many arrows sent by Karna, pierced Karna with sharp iron, and struck your eldest son with eight arrows.
kṛpo'tha bhojaśca tavātmajastathā; svayaṃ ca karṇo niśitairatāḍayat. sa taiścaturbhiryuyudhe yadūttamo; digīśvarairdaityapatiryathā tathā ॥8-60-24॥
Then Kṛpa, Bhoja, your son, and Karṇa himself struck with sharp arrows. Yaduttama fought with the four of them, just as the lord of demons would fight with the lords of the directions.
samānateneṣvasanena kūjatā; bhṛśātenāmitabāṇavarṣiṇā. babhūva durdharṣataraḥ sa sātyakiḥ; śarannabhomadhyagato yathā raviḥ ॥8-60-25॥
Satyaki, with his bow resounding intensely and an unending shower of arrows, became more invincible, like the sun shining in the autumn sky.
punaḥ samāsādya rathānsudaṁśitāḥ; śinipravīraṁ jugupuḥ parantapāḥ। sametya pāñcālarathā mahāraṇe; marudgaṇāḥ śakramivārinigrahe ॥8-60-26॥
Once more, the well-armed warriors, having reached the chariots, protected the hero of the Shini lineage. The Panchala chariots gathered in the great battle, resembling the Marut hosts in their effort to subdue Indra's enemies.
tato'bhavadyuddhamatīva dāruṇaṁ; tavāhitānāṁ tava sainikaiḥ saha। rathāśvamātaṅgavināśanaṁ tathā; yathā surāṇāmasuraiḥ purābhavat ॥8-60-27॥
Then there was a fierce battle between your enemies and your soldiers, leading to the destruction of chariots, horses, and elephants, similar to the ancient battles between gods and demons.
rathadvipā vājipadātayo'pi vā; bhramanti nānāvidhaśastraveṣṭitāḥ। paraspareṇābhihatāśca caskhalu; rvinedurārtā vyasavo'patanta ca ॥8-60-28॥
Chariots, elephants, horses, and foot soldiers, all armed with various weapons, wandered around. Struck by each other, they stumbled, cried out in pain, and fell lifelessly.
tathā gate bhīmam abhīḥ tavātmajaḥ; sasāra rājāvarajaḥ kirañ śaraiḥ। tam abhyadhāvat tvarito vṛkodaraḥ; mahāruruṃ siṃha ivābhipetivān ॥8-60-29॥
When Bhima had departed, your fearless son, the prince, advanced, showering arrows. Vrikodara, with the swiftness of a lion, approached him with a mighty roar.
tatastayoryuddhamatītamānuṣaṃ; pradīvyatoḥ prāṇadurodare'bhavat. paraspareṇābhiniviṣṭaroṣayo; rudagrayoḥ śambaraśakrayoḥ yathā ॥8-60-30॥
Then, a battle beyond human comprehension took place between the two blazing warriors, filled with life and fury, just like the legendary conflict between Śambara and Śakra.
śaraiḥ śarīrāntakaraiḥ sutejanai; rnijaghnatustāvitaretaraṃ bhṛśam. sakṛtprabhinnāviva vāśitāntare; mahāgajau manmathasaktacetasau ॥8-60-31॥
With well-aimed arrows that could end life, they fiercely attacked each other, like two great elephants, whose minds were absorbed in love, pierced once while trumpeting in between.
tavātmajasya atha vṛkodaras tvaran; dhanuḥ kṣurābhyāṃ dhvajam eva cācchinat। lalāṭam apy asya bibheda patriṇā; śiraś ca kāyāt prajahāra sārtheḥ ॥8-60-32॥
Then Vrikodara, in his haste, severed the flag from your son's bow with razor-sharp arrows. He also pierced the charioteer's forehead with an arrow and decapitated him.
sa rājamputro'nyadavāpya kārmukaṁ; vṛkodaraṁ dvādaśabhiḥ parābhint। svayaṁ niyacchaṁsturagānajihmagaiḥ; śaraiśca bhīmaṁ punarabhyavīvṛṣat ॥8-60-33॥
The prince, after acquiring another bow, struck Bhima (Vrikodara) with twelve arrows. While controlling the horses himself with straight-moving arrows, he once again showered Bhima with arrows.
