“Karna said, ‘As thou, O lord of splendour, knowest me for thy
worshipper, so also thou knowest that there is nothing which I cannot
give away in charity, O thou of fiery rays! Neither my wives, nor my
sons, nor my own self, nor my friends, are so dear to me as thou, on
account of the veneration I feel for thee, O lord of splendour! Thou
knowest, O maker of light, that high-souled persons bear a loving regard
for their dear worshippers. Karna revereth me and is dear to me. He
knoweth no other deity in heaven,--thinking this thou hast, O lord, said
unto me what is for my benefit. Yet, O thou of bright rays, again do I
beseech thee with bended head, again do I place myself in thy hands. I
will repeat the answer I have already given. It behoveth thee to forgive
me! Death itself is not fraught with such terrors for me as untruth! As
regards especially the Brahmanas, again, I do not hesitate to yield up my
life even for them! And, O divine one, respecting what thou hast said
unto me of Phalguna, the son of Pandu, let thy grief born of thy anxiety
of heart, O lord of splendour, be dispelled touching him and myself; for
I shall surely conquer Arjuna in battle! Thou knowest, O deity, that I
have great strength of weapons obtained from Jamadagnya and the
high-souled Drona. Permit me now, O foremost of celestials, to observe my
vow, so that unto him of the thunderbolt coming to beg of me, I may give
away even my life!’
“Surya said, ‘If O son, thou givest away thy ear-rings to the wielder of
the thunder-bolt, O thou of mighty strength, thou shouldst also, for the
purpose of securing victory, speak unto him, saying,--O thou of a hundred
sacrifices, I shall give thee ear-rings under a condition.--Furnished
with the ear-rings, thou art certainly incapable of being slain by any
being. Therefore, it is, O son, that desirous of beholding thee slain in
battle by Arjuna, the destroyer of the Danavas desireth to deprive thee
of thy ear-rings. Repeatedly adoring with truthful words that lord of the
celestials, viz., Purandara armed with weapons incapable of being
frustrated, do thou also beseech him, saying, ‘Give me an infallible dart
capable of slaying all foes, and I will, O thousand-eyed deity, give the
ear-rings with the excellent coat of mail!’ On this condition shouldst
thou give the ear-rings unto Sakra. With that dart, O Karna, thou wilt
slay foes in battle: for, O mighty-armed one, that dart of the chief of
the celestials doth not return to the hand that hurleth it, without
slaying enemies by hundreds and by thousands!’”
Vaisampayana continued, “Having said this, the thousand-rayed deity
suddenly vanished away. The next day, after having told his prayers,
Karna related his dream unto the Sun. And Vrisha related unto him the
vision he had seen, and all that had passed between them in the night.
Thereupon, having heard everything, that enemy of Swarbhanu, that lord,
the resplendent and divine Surya, said unto him with a smile, ‘It is even
so!’ Then Radha’s son, that slayer of hostile heroes, knowing all about
the matter, and desirous of obtaining the dart, remained in expectation
of Vasava.”