Beholding Krishna's limbs thus mangled with those snakes
transformed into arrows sped from Karna's arms, Arjuna, decked with
diadem and garlands, blazed up with wrath like a fire engaged in burning
a heap of dry grass. He then pierced Karna in all his vital limbs with
many blazing and fatal shafts shot from the bow-string stretched to the
very ear. (Deeply pierced), Karna trembled in pain. With the greatest
difficulty he stood, summoning all his patience. Dhananjaya having been
filled with wrath, all the points of the compass, cardinal and
subsidiary, the very splendour of the Sun, and Karna's car, O king, all
became invisible with the showers shot by him. The welkin seemed as if it
were shrouded by a thick forest. Then that slayer of foes, that bull of
Kuru's race, that foremost of heroes, viz., Savyasaci, O king, soon slew
in that battle 2,000 foremost of Kuru warriors, with their cars and
steeds and drivers, forming the protectors of Karna's car-wheels and
wings and his van-guard and rear-guard and who constituted the very pick
of Duryodhana's car-force, and who, urged by Duryodhana, had been
fighting with great energy. Then thy sons and the Kauravas that were
still alive fled away, deserting Karna, and abandoning their dying and
wounded, and their wailing sons and sires. Beholding himself abandoned by
the terrified Kurus and seeing the space around him empty, Karna felt no
agitation, O Bharata, but, on the other hand, rushed at Arjuna, with a
cheerful heart.
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