“Sanjaya said, ‘Karna, the son of Vikartana,[222] O king, resisted the
mighty car-warrior Sahadeva in that battle, who advanced from desire of
getting at Drona. Piercing the son of Radha with nine shafts, Sahadeva
once more pierced that warrior with nine straight arrows. Karna then
pierced Sahadeva in return with a hundred straight shafts, and displaying
great lightness in hand, cut off the latter’s stringed bow. Then the
valiant son of Madri, taking up another bow, pierced Karna with twenty
arrows. This feat of his seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then Karna,
slaying Sahadeva’s steeds with many straight shafts, speedily despatched
the latter’s driver with a broad-headed shaft, to Yama’s abode. This
carless Sahadeva then took up a sword and a shield. Even those weapons
were cut off by Karna smiling the while. Then the mighty Sahadeva, in
that encounter, sped towards the car of Vikartana’s son, a heavy and
terrible mace decked with gold. Karna then with his shafts, quickly cut
off that mace which hurled by Sahadeva, coursed towards him impetuously,
and caused it to fall down on the earth. Beholding his mace cut off,
Sahadeva quickly hurled a dart at Karna. That dart also was cut off by
Karna. The son of Madri, then, quickly jumping down from his excellent
car, and blazing with wrath upon beholding Karna stationed before him,
took up a car-wheel and hurled it at the son of Adhiratha. The Suta’s
son, however, with many thousands of arrows, cut off that wheel coursing
towards him like the uplifted wheel of Death. When that wheel had been
cut off, Sahadeva, O sire, aiming at Karna, hurled at him the shafts of
his car, the traces of his steeds, the yokes of his cars, the limbs of
elephants and steeds and dead human bodies. Karna cut off all these with
his shafts. Seeing himself deprived of all weapons, Madri’s son,
Sahadeva, struck by Karna with many shafts, left the battle. Pursuing him
for a while, the son of Radha, O bull of Bharata’s race, smilingly
addressed Sahadeva and said these cruel words, “Do not, O hero, fight in
battle with those that are superior to thee. Fight with thy equals, O son
of Madri! Do not mistrust my words.” Then touching him with the horn of
his bow, he once more said, “Yonder, Arjuna is fighting resolutely with
the Kurus in battle. Go there, O son of Madri, or return home if thou
likest.” Having said those words, Karna, that foremost of car-warriors,
smilingly proceeded on his car against the troops of the king of the
Panchalas. The slayer of foes, that mighty car-warrior, devoted to truth,
slew not the son of Madri although he had got the opportunity,
recollecting the words of Kunti. Sahadeva, then, heartless and afflicted
with arrows, and pierced with the wordy darts of Karna, no longer
cherished any love for life. That mighty car-warrior then quickly
ascended the car of Janamejaya, the illustrious prince of the Panchalas.’”