The combat between the two heroes became furious like that between the
chief of the celestials and Virocana's son in days of yore. Incapable of
being endured by others and marked by a river whose distasteful water
consisted of blood, the limbs of those two heroes, as also their drivers
and animals, became exceedingly mangled. Like two large lakes, both
teeming with lotuses of diverse kinds and fish and tortoises, and echoing
with the voices of diverse kinds of fowl, and softly stirred by the wind,
approaching each other, those two cars graced with standards approached
each other. Both endued with prowess equal to that of the great Indra,
both resembling the great Indra himself, those two mighty car-warriors
struck each other with shafts that resembled the great Indra's thunder,
like the great Indra himself and (the asura) Vritra.
Both the armies consisting of cars and elephants and steeds and
foot-soldiers, all equipped with beautiful armour and ornaments and robes
and weapons, and those also that were in the welkin, were inspired with
fear upon beholding that encounter of wonderful aspect between Arjuna and
Karna. Others among the spectators, filled with joy and uttering leonine
shouts, raised their arms, waving their fingers or the pieces of cloth
they held, when Arjuna rushed against the son of Adhiratha, from desire
of slaughter, like one infuriated elephant rushing against another.
The Somakas then loudly shouted to Partha, saying, "Be quick, O Arjuna,
go and pierce Karna.
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