A darkness having been
caused there with the arrows shot on that occasion, neither thy warriors
nor the enemy could any longer see anything. From fear all the warriors
there sought the protection of either Karna or Arjuna like rays of light
spread out in the welkin converging towards either the sun or the moon.
The two heroes then, each baffling the other's weapons with his own, like
the east and the west winds encountering each other, looked exceedingly
resplendent like the sun and the moon risen after dispelling the darkness
caused by the clouds and covering the welkin. Each having encouraged his
troops, saying, "Do not fly away!" the enemy and thy warriors stood their
ground, encircling those two mighty car-warriors like the gods and the
asuras standing around Vasava and Samvara. The two armies then greeted
those two best of men with the sounds of drums and other instruments and
with leonine roars, at which those two bulls among men looked beautiful
like the sun and the moon greeted by roaring clouds gathered around. Each
armed with a formidable bow drawn to a complete circle and looking like a
(solar or lunar) corona, those two heroes of great splendour, shooting,
in that battle thousands of arrows that constituted their rays, resembled
two unbearable suns risen at the end of the yuga for burning the entire
universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. Both invincible, both
capable of exterminating foes, each desirous of slaying the other; and
each displaying his skill upon the other, those two warriors, Karna and
the son of Pandu, closed fearlessly with each other in that dreadful
battle, like Indra and the asura Jambha.
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