of that clash of the arrowy showers of those two lions among men, a conflagration, O chief of the Bharatas, seemed to be generated in the sky.  Then Karna, desirous of slaying Bhima, shot at him in rage many whetted arrows equipped with wings of gold and polished by the hands of the smith.  Bhima, however, cut off with his own shafts every one of those arrows into three fragments, and prevailing over the Suta’s son, he cried out, ‘Wait, Wait.’  And the wrathful and mighty son of Pandu, like an all-consuming conflagration, once more shot in rage showers of fierce shafts.  And then in consequence of their leathern fences striking against their bow-strings, loud sounds were generated.  And loud also became the sound of their palms, and terrible their leonine shouts, and fierce the rattle of their car-wheels and the twang of their bow-strings.  And all the combatants, O king, ceased to fight, desirous of beholding the prowess of Karna and of the son of Pandu, each of whom was desirous of slaying the other.  And the celestial Rishis and Siddhas and Gandharvas, applauded them, saying, “Excellent, Excellent!’ And the tribes of Vidyadharas rained flowery showers upon them.  Then the wrathful and mighty-armed Bhima of fierce prowess, baffling with his own weapons the weapons of his foe, pierced the Suta’s son with many shafts.  Karna also, endued with great might, baffling the shafts of Bhimasena, sped at him nine long shafts in that battle.  Bhima, however, with as many arrows, cut off those shafts of Suta’s son in the welkin and addressed him, saying, ‘Wait, Wait!’ Then the mighty-armed and heroic Bhima, excited with rage, shot at Adhiratha’s son an arrow resembling the rod of Yama or Death himself.  Radha’s son, however, smiling, cut off that arrow, O king, of Pandu’s son, however, of great Prowess, with three arrows of his, as it coursed towards him through the welkin.  The son of Pandu then once more shot showers of fierce shafts.  Karna, however, fearlessly received all those arrows of Bhima.  Then excited with rage, the Suta’s son, Karna, by the power of his weapons, with his straight arrows, cut off in that encounter the couple of quivers and the bow-string of fighting Bhima, as also the traces of his steeds.  And then slaying his steeds also, Karna pierced Bhima’s charioteer with five shafts.  The charioteer, quickly running away, proceeded to Yudhamanyu’s car.  Excited with rage, the son of Radha then, whose splendour resembled that of the Yuga-fire, smiling the while, cut off the flag-staff of Bhima and felled his banner.  Deprived of his bow, the mighty-armed Bhima then seized a dart, such as car-warriors may use.  Excited with wrath, he whirled it in his hand and then hurled it with great force at Karna’s car.  The son of Adhiratha then, with ten shafts, cut off, as it coursed towards him with the effulgence of a large meteor, the gold-decked dart thus hurled (by Bhima).[164] Thereupon, that dart fell down, cut off into ten fragments by those sharp