ands. His limbs mangled with those shafts, his eyes
red with rage and the desire of revenge, the son of Pandu, insensate with
wrath, and impelled by the desire of slaying the Suta's son, fixed on his
bow an excellent shaft of great impetuosity, capable of bearing a great
strain, and competent to pierce the very mountains. Forcibly drawing the
bow-string to his very ear, the son of the Wind-god, that great bowman,
filled with wrath and desirous of making an end of Karna, sped that
shaft. Thus sped by the mighty Bhima, that shaft, making a noise loud as
that of the thunder, pierced through Karna in that battle,
like the thunderbolt itself piercing through a mountain. Struck by
Bhimasena, O perpetuator of Kuru's race, the Suta's son, that commander
(of thy forces), sat down senseless on the terrace of his car. The ruler
of the Madras then, beholding the Suta's son deprived of his senses, bore
that ornament of battle away on his car, from that fight. Then after
Karna's defeat, Bhimasena began to rout the vast Dhartarashtra host like
Indra routing the Danavas.'"

51

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Exceedingly difficult of accomplishment was that
feat, O Sanjaya, which was achieved by Bhima who caused the mighty-armed
Karna himself to measure his length on the terrace of his car. There is
only one person, Karna, who will slay the Pandavas along with the
Srinjayas--even this is what Duryodhana, O Suta, used very often to say
unto me. Beholding, however, that son of Radha now defeated by Bhima in
battle, what did my son Duryodhana next do?'

"Sanjaya said, 'Beholding Radha's son of the Suta caste turned back from
the fight in that great battle, thy son, O monarch, addressed his uterine
brothers, saying, "Go ye quickly, blessed be ye, and protect the son of
Radha who is plunged into that fathomless ocean of calamity represented
by the fear of Bhimasena." Thus commanded by the king, those princes,
excited with wrath and desirous of slaying Bhimasena, rushed towards him
like insects towards a blazing fire. They were Srutarvan and Durddhara
and Kratha and Vivitsu and Vikata and Soma, and Nishangin and Kavashin
and Pasin and Nanda and Upanandaka, and Duspradharsha and Suvahu and
Vatavega and Suvarchasas, and Dhanurgraha and Durmada and Jalasandha and
Sala and Saha. Surrounded by a large car-force, those princes, endued
with great energy and might, approached Bhimasena and encompassed him on
all sides. They sped at him from every side s