“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding the mighty-armed Ghatotkacha, O king,
proceeding towards the car of Suta’s son, Karna, for slaughtering him in
battle, thy son Duryodhana addressing Duhsasana, said these words, “The
Rakshasa, seeing the prowess of Karna in battle, is speedily advancing
against him. Resist that mighty car-warrior. Surrounded by a mighty force
proceed to that spot where the mighty Karna, the son of Vikartana, is
contending with the Rakshasa in battle. O giver of honours, surrounded by
troops and exerting thyself vigorously, protect Karna in battle. Let not
the terrible Rakshasa slay Karna in consequence of our carelessness.”
Meanwhile, O king, Jatasura’s mighty son, that foremost of smiters,
approaching Duryodhana, said unto him, “O Duryodhana, commanded by thee,
I desire to slay, with their followers, thy foes of celebrity, viz., the
Pandavas, those warriors incapable of being easily defeated in battle. My
father was mighty Jatasura, that foremost of Rakshasa. Formerly, having
performed some Rakshasa slaying incantations, the despicable sons of
Pritha slew him. I desire to worship my dead sire by offering him the
blood of his foes, and their flesh, O monarch! it behoveth thee to grant
me permission.” The king, thus addressed, became exceedingly delighted
and said unto him repeatedly, “Aided by Drona and Karna and others, I am
quite competent to vanquish my foes. Commanded, however, by me, O
Rakshasa, go thou to battle and slay Ghatotkacha in the fight--that
Rakshasa of fierce deeds, born of man, ever devoted to the welfare of the
Pandavas, and always slaying our elephants and steeds and car-warriors in
battle, himself all the while staying in the welkin. O, despatch him to
Yama’s abode.” Saying, “so be it,” and summoning Ghatotkacha to the
fight, Jatasura’s son shrouded the son of Bhimasena with diverse kinds of
weapons. The son of Hidimva, however, alone and unsupported began to
grind Alamvusha and Karna and the vast Kuru host, like the tempest
crushing a mass of clouds. Seeing then the power of (Ghatotkacha’s)
illusion, the Rakshasa Alamvusha covered Ghatotkacha with showers of
diverse kinds of arrows. Having pierced Bhimasena’s son with many shafts,
Alamvusha, without losing any time, began to afflict the Pandava host
with his arrows. Thus afflicted by him, O Bharata, the Pandava troops, at
dead of night, broke and fled away like clouds dispersed by a tempest.
Similarly, thy host also, mingled with the shafts of Ghatotkacha, fled
away at dead of night, O king, in thousands, throwing down their torches.
Alamvusha then, excited with great wrath, struck Bhimasena’s son in that
dreadful battle with many shafts, like a driver striking an elephant.
Then Ghatotkacha cut off into minute fragments the car, the driver, and
all the weapons of his foe and laughed frightfully. Then, like the clouds
pouring torrents of rain on the mountains of Meru, Ghatotkacha poured
showers of arrows on Karna, Alamvusha and all the Kurus. Afflicted by the
Rakshasa, the Kuru host became exceedingly agitated. The four kinds of
forces, of which thy army consisted, began to press and crush one
another. Then Jatasura’s son, carless and driverless, wrathfully struck
Ghatotkacha, in that battle, with his fists. Thus struck, Ghatotkacha
trembled like a mountain with its trees and creepers and grass at the
time of an earthquake. Then Bhimasena’s son, mad with rage, raising his
own foe-slaying arm that resembled a spiked mace, dealt a severe blow on
Jatasura’s son. Crushing him then in rage, Hidimva’s son quickly threw
him down, and seizing him with his two arms he began to press him with
great force upon the earth. Then Jatasura’s son freeing himself from
Ghatotkacha, rose up and assailed Ghatotkacha with great impetuosity.
Alamvusha also, dragging and throwing down the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha, in
that battle, began to crush him in rage on the surface of the earth. The
battle then that took place between those two roaring and gigantic
warriors, viz., Ghatotkacha and Alamvusha, became exceedingly fierce and
made the hair stand on end. Endeavouring to prevail over each other by
means of their powers of illusion, those two proud warriors, endued with
great energy, fought with each other like Indra and Virochana’s son.
Becoming fire and ocean, and, once more, Garuda and Takshaka, and once
again, a cloud and a tempest, and then thunder and a large mountain, and
once again, an elephant and then Rahu and the sun, they thus displayed a
hundred different kinds of illusion, solicitous of destroying each other.
Indeed, Alamvusha and Ghatotkacha fought most wonderfully, striking each
other with spiked clubs and maces and lances and mallets and axes and
short clubs and mountain-cliffs. Riding on horseback or on elephants, on
foot or on car, those foremost of Rakshasas, both endued with large
powers of illusion, fought with each other in battle. Then Ghatotkacha, O
king, desiring to slay Alamvusha, roared aloft in rage and then alighted
with great quickness like a hawk. Seizing then that gigantic prince of
Rakshasas, viz., Alamvusha, who thus struggled with him, he pressed him
down on the earth, like Vishnu slaying (the Asura) Maya in battle. Taking
a scimitar of wonderful appearance, Ghatotkacha, of immeasurable prowess,
then cut off from his trunk, O king, his fierce and mighty foe’s terrible
head that was still uttering awful roars. Seizing that blood-dyed head by
the hair, Ghatotkacha quickly proceeded towards Duryodhana’s car.
Approaching (the Kuru king), the mighty-armed Rakshasa, smiling the
while, threw upon Duryodhana’s car that head with frightful face and
hair. Uttering then a fierce roar, deep as that of the clouds in the
season of rains, he addressed Duryodhana, O king, and said, “This thy
ally is now slain, he, that is, whose prowess thou hadst beheld! Thou
shalt see the slaughter of Karna again, and then thy own. One that is
observant of these three, viz., morality, profit and pleasure, should
never see with empty hands a king, a Brahmana, or a woman.[230] Live
cheerfully till that time when I slay Karna.” Having said these words, he
then, O king, proceeded towards Karna, shooting hundreds of keen arrows
upon the head of Karna. The battle then that took place between that
human warrior and that Rakshasa, was fierce and terrible, O king, and
exceedingly wonderful.’”