The two cars, O king, upon which Karna and Arjuna were stationed, had white steeds yoked unto them both. And both had excellent standards, and both produced a loud rattle. Many foremost of heroes, approaching the brave Vasudeva and Arjuna as also Shalya and Karna, began each to blow his conch. The battle then commenced (between the two warriors), overwhelming all timid persons with fear. Fiercely they challenged each other like Sakra and Samvara. The standards of the two heroes, perfectly bright, looked exceedingly beautiful on their cars, like the planets Rahu and Ketu risen in the firmament at the time of the universal dissolution. The elephant’s rope on Karna’s banner, looking like a snake of virulent poison and made of jewels and gems and exceedingly strong and resembling the bow of Indra, looked resplendent (as it waved in the air). That foremost of apes, again, belonging to Partha, with jaws wide open and terrible, and difficult of being gazed at, like the sun himself, inspired fear by his formidable teeth. The impetuous Ape on the standard of the wielder of Gandiva, becoming desirous of battle, rushed from his station and fell upon Karna’s standard.
Endued with great impetuosity, the Ape, darting forward, struck the elephant’s rope with his nails and teeth, like Garuda falling upon a snake. Decked with rows of little bells, hard as iron, and resembling the fatal noose (in the hands of Yama or Varuna), the elephant’s rope, filled with wrath, closed with the Ape. Thus in that fierce single combat between those two heroes, which was the result of what had been settled at the time of the match at dice, their standards first battled with each other. Meanwhile the steeds of the one neighed at the steeds of the other. The lotus-eyed Keshava pierced Shalya with his keen glances. The latter also cast similar glances at the former. Vasudeva, however, vanquished Shalya with those glances of his, while Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, vanquished Karna with his glances. Then the Suta’s son, smilingly addressing Shalya, said, “If Partha by any means slays me in battle today, tell me truly, O friend, what thou wilt do after that.” Shalya answered, saying, “If thou art slain, I myself will slay both Krishna and Dhananjaya.” Once more the ruler of the Madras said, “If, O Karna, the white steeded Arjuna slays thee in battle today, I myself, on a single car, will slay both Madhava and Phalguna.'”
“Sanjaya continued, ‘Arjuna also asked Govinda a similar question. Krishna, however, smiling, said unto Partha these words of grave import, “The Sun himself may fall down from his place, the Earth herself may split into a 1,000 fragments; fire itself may become cold. Still Karna will not be able to slay thee, O Dhananjaya! If, however, any such occurrence takes place, know then that the destruction of the universe will be at hand. As regards myself, I will, using my bare arms, slay both Karna and Shalya in battle.” Hearing these words of Krishna, the ape-bannered Arjuna, smiling, replied unto Krishna who was never fatigued with exertion, saying, “Shalya and Karna, united together, are not a match for myself alone, O Janardana! Thou shalt today, O Krishna, behold Karna with his standard and banners with Shalya and his car and steeds, with his umbrella and armour and darts and shafts and bow, cut in pieces with my shafts in battle.
Thou shalt today behold him with his car and steeds and darts and armour and weapons, reduced to dust like a tree in the forest crushed by a tusker. Today the widowhood of the wives of Radha’s son is at hand. Verily, they must have in their (last night’s) dreams seen signs of approaching evil, O Mahadeva! Verily, thou shalt today see the wives of Karna become widows. I cannot restrain my wrath at what was done before now by this fool of little foresight when he beheld Krishna dragged to the assembly and when laughing at us he abused us repeatedly in vile words. Today, O Govinda, thou shalt behold Karna crushed by me like a tree with its load of flowers crushed by an infuriated elephant. Today, O slayer of Madhu, thou shalt, after Karna’s fall, hear those sweet words, ‘By good luck, O thou of Vrishni’s race, victory hath been thine!’ Thou shalt today comfort the mother of Abhimanyu with a lighter heart for having paid thy debt to the foe. Today thou shalt, filled with joy, comfort thy paternal aunt Kunti. Today thou shalt, O Madhava, comfort Krishna of tearful face and king Yudhishthira the just with words sweet as nectar.”‘”
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“Sanjaya said, ‘Meanwhile the welkin, filled with gods and Nagas and Asuras and Siddhas and Yakshas and with large bands of Gandharvas and Rakshasas, and Asuras and regenerate Rishis and royal sages and birds of excellent feathers, assumed a wonderful aspect. All human beings assembled there beheld those beings of wonderful aspect staying in the sky, and the sky itself resounded with the voice of musical instruments and song and adulatory hymns and laughter and dance, and diverse other kinds of charming sounds. Then both the Kaurava and the Pandava warriors, filled with joy, and causing the earth and the ten points of the compass to resound with the voice of musical instruments, the blare of conchs, and leonine roars and the din of battle, began to slaughter their foes. Teeming with men and steeds and elephants and cars and weapons, unbearable to combatants in consequence of the falling of maces and swords and darts and rapiers, abounding in heroes, and crowded with lifeless bodies, the field of battle, crimsoned with gore, looked exceedingly resplendent. Indeed, the battle between the Kurus and the Pandavas then resembled that in days of yore between the gods and the Asuras. After that fierce and awful battle had commenced between Dhananjaya and Adhiratha’s son, each of those two heroes, clad in excellent mail, shrouded the ten points of the compass and the host opposed to him with keen and straight arrows.
A darkness having been caused there with the arrows shot on that occasion, neither thy warriors nor the enemy could any longer see anything. From fear all the warriors there sought the protection of either Karna or Arjuna like rays of light spread out in the welkin converging towards either the sun or the moon. The two heroes then, each baffling the other’s weapons with his own, like the east and the west winds encountering each other, looked exceedingly resplendent like the sun and the moon risen after dispelling the darkness caused by the clouds and covering the welkin. Each having encouraged his troops, saying, “Do not fly away!” the enemy and thy warriors stood their ground, encircling those two mighty car-warriors like the gods and the asuras standing around Vasava and Samvara. The two armies then greeted those two best of men with the sounds of drums and other instruments and with leonine roars, at which those two bulls among men looked beautiful like the sun and the moon greeted by roaring clouds gathered around. Each armed with a formidable bow drawn to a complete circle and looking like a (solar or lunar) corona, those two heroes of great splendour, shooting, in that battle thousands of arrows that constituted their rays, resembled two unbearable suns risen at the end of the yuga for burning the entire universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. Both invincible, both capable of exterminating foes, each desirous of slaying the other; and each displaying his skill upon the other, those two warriors, Karna and the son of Pandu, closed fearlessly with each other in that dreadful battle, like Indra and the asura Jambha.
