as, Karna addressing him endued with great activity, saying,
"Proceed."'"

37

"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding the mighty Karna take up his station from
desire of battle, the Kauravas, filled with delight, uttered loud shouts
from every side. With the beat of cymbals and the sound of drums, with
the whizz of diverse kinds of arrows and the roars of combatants endued
with great activity, all thy troops proceeded to battle, making death
only the point at which to stop. When Karna set out and the warriors of
the Kuru army were filled with joy, the Earth, O king, trembled and made
a loud noise. The seven great planets including the Sun seemed to proceed
against one another (for combat). Meteoric showers became noticeable and
all the quarters seemed ablaze. Thunders fell from a cloudless sky, and
fierce winds began to blow. Animals and birds in larger numbers kept thy
army to their right, foreboding great calamities. After Karna had set
out, his steeds tumbled down on the Earth. A frightful shower of bones
fell from the sky. The weapons (of the Kuru warriors) seemed to be
ablaze; their standards trembled; and their animals, O monarch, shed
copious tears. These and many other terrible and awful portents appeared
for the destruction of the Kurus. Stupefied by destiny, none of them
regarded those portents at all. Beholding the Suta's son setting out, all
the rulers of men (in the Kaurava army) cried victory to him. The
Kauravas regarded the Pandavas to have been already vanquished. That
slayer of hostile heroes, that foremost of car-warriors, viz.,
Vaikartana, as he stayed on his car recollecting the death of Bhishma and
Drona, blazed up with splendour like the Sun or fire. Reflecting on the
mighty feats of Partha, and burning with self-conceit and pride, and
blazing with wrath and breathing long and hard, he addressed Shalya and
said these words: "When stationed on my car and armed with my bow, I
would not take fright at Indra himself armed with the thunder and excited
with wrath. Beholding those great heroes headed by Bhishma lying on the
field of battle, do not feel any anxiety. Seeing even the faultless
Bhishma and Drona, equal unto Indra and Vishnu, those crushers of
foremost of cars and steeds and elephants, those heroes that were
unslayable, slain by the foe, I do not still experience any fear in this
battle. Acquainted with mighty weapons, and himself the foremost of
Brahmanas, why, indeed, did not the preceptor slay in