“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing the twang of Bhimasena’s bow and the sound of his
palms, the son of Radha could not brook it, like an infuriated elephant
incapable of brooking the roars of an infuriated rival. Returning for a
moment from before Bhimasena, Karna cast his eyes upon those sons of
thine that had been slain by Bhimasena. Beholding them, O best of men,
Karna became cheerless and plunged in grief. Breathing hot and long
sighs, he, once more, proceeded against the son of Pandu. With eyes red
as copper, and sighing in wrath like a mighty snake, Karna then, as he
shot his arrows, looked resplendent like the sun scattering his
rays.[159] Indeed, O bull of Bharata’s race, Vrikodara was then covered
with the arrows, resembling the spreading rays of the sun that were shot
from Karna’s bow. The beautiful shafts, equipped with peacock-feathers,
shot from Karna’s bow, penetrated into every part of Bhima’s body, like
birds into a tree for roosting there. Indeed, the arrows, equipped with
wings of gold, shot from Karna’s bow falling incessantly, resembled
continuous rows of cranes. So numerous were the shafts shot by
Adhiratha’s son that, these seemed to issue not from his bow alone but
from his standard, his umbrella, and the shaft and yoke and bottom of his
car also. Indeed, Adhiratha’s son shot his sky-ranging shafts of
impetuous energy, decked with gold and equipped with vulturine feathers,
in such a way as to fill the entire welkin with them. Beholding him
(thus) excited with fury and rushing towards him like the Destroyer
himself, Vrikodara, becoming utterly reckless of his life and prevailing
over his foe, pierced him with nine shafts.[160] Beholding the
irresistible impetuosity of Karna as also that dense shower of arrows,
Bhima, endued as he was with great prowess, quailed not in fear. The son
of Pandu then counteracting that arrowy downpour of Adhiratha’s son,
pierced Karna himself with twenty other sharp shafts. Indeed, as Pritha’s
son himself had before been shrouded by the Suta’s son, even so was the
latter now shrouded by the former in that battle. Beholding the prowess
of Bhimasena in battle, thy warriors, as also the Gandharas, filled with
joy, applauded him. Bhurisravas, and Kripa, and Drona’s son, and the
ruler of the Madras, and Uttamaujas and Yudhamanyu, and Kesava, and
Arjuna,--these great car-warriors, O king, among both the Kurus and the
Pandavas,--loudly cheered Bhima, saying, “Excellent, Excellent,” and
uttered leonine roars. When that fierce uproar, making the hair stand on
end rose, thy son Duryodhana, O king, quickly said unto all the kings and
princes and particularly his uterine brothers, these words, “Blessed be
ye, proceed towards Karna for rescuing him from Vrikodara, else the
shafts shot from Bhima’s bow will slay the son of Radha. Ye mighty
bowmen, strive ye to protect the Suta’s son.” Thus commanded by
Duryodhana, seven of his uterine brothers, O sire, rushing in wrath
towards Bhimasena, encompassed him on all sides. Approaching the son of
Kunti they covered him with showers of arrows, like clouds pouring
torrents of rain on the mountain-breast in the season of rains. Excited
with wrath, those seven great car-warriors began to afflict Bhimasena, O
king, like the seven planets afflicting the moon at the hour of the
universal dissolution. The son of Kunti, then, O monarch, drawing his
beautiful bow with great force and firm grasp, and knowing that his foes
were but men, aimed seven shafts. And lord Bhima in great rage sped at
them those shafts, effulgent as solar rays. Indeed, Bhimasena
recollecting his former wrongs, shot those shafts as if for extracting
the life from out of the bodies of those sons of thine. Those arrows, O
Bharata, whetted on stone and equipped with wings of gold, shot by
Bhimasena, piercing through the bodies of those Bharata princes, flew
into the sky. Indeed, those arrows winged with gold, piercing through the
hearts of thy sons, looked beautiful, O monarch, as they passed into the
sky, like birds of excellent plumage. Decked with gold and covered all
over with blood, those arrows, O king, drinking the blood of thy sons
passed out of their body. Pierced in their vital limbs by means of those
arrows, they fell down on the earth from their cars, like tall trees
growing on mountain precipices, broken by an elephant. The seven sons of
thine that were thus slain were Satrunjaya, and Satrusaha, and Chitra,
and Chitrayudha, and Dridha, and Chitrasena and Vikarna. Amongst all thy
sons thus slain, Vrikodara, the son of Pandu, grieved bitterly from
sorrow for Vikarna who was dear to him. And Bhima said, “Even thus was
the vow made by me, viz., that all of you should be slain by me in
battle. It is for that, O Vikarna, that thou hast been slain. My vow hath
been accomplished. O hero, thou camest to battle, bearing in mind the
duties of a Kshatriya. Thou wert ever engaged in our good, and especially
in that of the king (our eldest brother). It is scarcely proper,
therefore, for me to grieve for thy illustrious self.” Having slain those
princes, O king, in the very sight of Radha’s son, the son of Pandu
uttered a terrible leonine roar. That loud shout of the heroic Bhima, O
Bharata, informed king Yudhishthira the Just that the victory in that
battle was his. Indeed, hearing that tremendous shout of Bhima armed with
the bow, king Yudhishthira felt great joy in the midst of that battle.
The gladdened son of Pandu, then, O king, received that leonine shout of
his brother with sounds and other musical instruments. And after
Vrikodara, had sent him that message by the sign agreed upon,
Yudhishthira, that foremost of persons acquainted with weapons, filled
with joy, rushed against Drona in battle. On the other hand, O king,
beholding one and thirty of thy sons slain, Duryodhana recollected the
words of Vidura. “Those beneficial words spoken by Vidura are now
realised!” Thinking even so, king Duryodhana was unable to do what he
should. All that, during the match at dice, thy foolish and wicked son,
with Karna (on his side), said unto the princes of Panchala causing her
to be brought into the assembly, all the harsh words, again, that Karna
said unto Krishna, in the same place, before thyself, O king, and the
sons of Pandu, in thy hearing and that of all the Kurus, viz., “O Krishna,
the Pandavas are lost and have sunk into eternal hell, therefore, choose
thou other husbands,”--alas, the fruit of all that is now manifesting
itself. Then, again, O thou of Kuru’s race, diverse harsh speeches, such
as sesamum seeds without kernel, etc., were applied by the wrathful sons
to those high-souled ones, viz., the sons of Pandu. Bhimasena, vomiting
forth the fire of wrath (which these enraged) and which he had restrained
for thirteen years, is now compassing the destruction of thy sons.
Indulging in copious lamentations, Vidura failed to persuade thee
towards peace. O chief of the Bharatas, suffer the fruit of all that with
thy sons. Thou art old, patient, and capable of foreseeing the
consequences of all acts. Being so, when thou didst yet refuse to follow
the counsels of thy well-wishers, it seems that all this is the result of
destiny. Do not grieve, O tiger among men! All this is thy great fault.
In my opinion, thou art thyself the cause of the destruction of thy sons.
O monarch, Vikarna hath fallen, and Chitrasena also of great prowess.
Many other mighty car-warriors and foremost ones among thy sons have also
fallen. Others, again, among thy sons whom Bhima saw come within the
range of his vision, O mighty-armed one, he slew in a trice. It is for
thee only that I had to see our array scorched in thousands by means of
the arrows shot by Pandu’s son, Bhima and Vrisha (Karna)!’”