heroes fought with each other wonderfully, displaying great activity and
skill. And the sight they presented was such that other warriors became
witnesses of that battle. And applauded by Siddhas, Charnas and Pannagas,
they fought with each other, O king, each desirous of slaying the other.
Then Duryodhana, O king addressing thy warriors, said, "Carefully protect
the son of Radha! Without slaying Arjuna he would not abstain from
battle. Even this is what Vrisha told me." Meanwhile, O monarch,
beholding the prowess of Karna, Arjuna, of white steeds, with four shafts
shot from the bow-string drawn to the ear, despatched the four steeds of
Karna to Yama's domain. And he also felled with a broad-headed arrow,
Karna's charioteer from his niche in the car. And he covered Karna
himself with clouds of shafts in the very sight of thy son. Thus shrouded
with arrows the steedless and driverless Karna, stupefied by that arrowy
shower, knew not what to do. Beholding him made carless, Aswatthaman, O
king, caused him to ride on his car, and continued to fight with Arjuna.
Then the ruler of the Madras pierced the son of Kunti with thirty arrows.
Saradwata's son pierced Vasudeva with twenty arrows. And he struck
Dhananjaya also with a dozen shafts. And the ruler of the Sindhus pierced
each with four arrows, and Vrishasena also pierced each of them, O king,
with seven arrows. Kunti's son, Dhananjaya, pierced all of them in
return. Indeed, piercing Drona's son with four and sixty shafts, and the
ruler of the Madras with a hundred, and the Sindhu king with ten
broad-headed arrows, and Vrishasena with three arrows and Saradwata's son
with twenty, Partha uttered a loud shout. Desirous of baffling the vow of
Savyasachin, thy warriors, excited with wrath, quickly rushed at
Dhananjaya from all sides. Then Arjuna, frightening the Dhartarashtras,
invoked into existence the Varuna weapon on all sides. The Kauravas,
however, on their costly cars, pouring showers of arrows, advanced
against the son of Pandu. But, O Bharata, in course of that stupefying
and fierce engagement, fraught with the greatest confusion, that prince,
viz., Arjuna, decked with diadem and gold chain never lost his senses. On
the other hand, he continued to pour showers of arrows. Desirous of
recovering the kingdom and recollecting all the wrongs he had suffered
for twelve years in consequence of the Kurus, the high-souled and
immeasurable Arjuna darkened all the points of the co