Stretching
his Gandiva of loud twang and fiercely striking his palms with her
bow-string, he suddenly created a darkness by means of his arrows and
destroyed large numbers of men and steeds and cars and standards. The
echoes (of that twang) travelled through the welkin. The birds, (no
longer finding room in their own element), took shelter in the caverns of
mountains. With his full-drawn bow, Arjuna looked resplendent. Indeed, as
the diadem-decked Partha, at that terrible moment, fell upon the foe,
Bhimasena, that foremost of heroes, proceeded on his car behind that son
of Pandu, protecting his rear. Those two princes then, on their cars,
proceeded with great speed towards Karna, encountering their foes along
the way. During that interval, the Suta's son fought fiercely, grinding
the Somakas. He slew a large number of car-warriors and steeds and
elephants, and covered the ten points of the compass with his shafts.
Then Uttamauja and Janamejaya, and the enraged Yudhamanyu and Shikhandi,
uniting with Prishata's son (Dhrishtadyumna) and uttering loud roars,
pierced Karna with many shafts. Those five foremost of Pancala
car-warriors rushed against Karna otherwise called Vaikartana, but they
could not shake him off his car like the objects of the senses failing to
shake off the person of purified soul from abstinence. Quickly cutting
off their bows, standards, steeds, drivers and banners, with his shafts,
Karna struck each of them with five arrows and then uttered a loud roar
like a lion, People then became exceedingly cheerless, thinking that the
very earth, with her mountains and trees, might split at the twang of
Karna's bow while that hero, with shafts in hand touching the bow-string,
was employed in shooting at his assailants and slaying his foes.
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