shafts of the Suta’s son, Karna, that warrior conversant with every mode of warfare, then battling for the sake of his friends.  Then, the son of Kunti took up a shield decked with gold and a sword, desirous of obtaining either death or victory, Karna, however, O Bharata, smiling the while, cut off that bright shield of Bhima with many fierce shafts.  Then, car-less, Bhima, O king, deprived of his shield, became mad with rage.  Quickly, then, he hurled his formidable sword at Karna’s car.  That large sword, cutting off the stringed bow of the Suta’s son, fell down on the earth, O king, like an angry snake from the sky.  Then Adhiratha’s son, excited with rage in that battle, smilingly took up another bow destructive of foes, having a stronger string, and tougher than the one he had lost.  Desirous of slaying the son of Kunti, Karna then began to shoot thousands of arrows, O king, equipped with wings of gold and endued with great energy.  Struck by those shafts shot from Karna’s bow, the mighty Bhima leaped into the sky, filling Karna’s heart with anguish.  Beholding the conduct of Bhima, in battle desirous of victory, the son of Radha beguiled him by concealing himself in his car.  Seeing Karna concealing himself with an agitated heart on the terrace of his car, Bhima catching hold of Karna’s flagstaff, waited on the earth.  All the Kurus and the Charanas highly applauded that attempt of Bhima of snatching Karna away from his car, like Garuda snatching away a snake.  His bow cut off, himself deprived of his car, Bhima, observant of the duties of his order, stood still for battle, keeping his (broken) car behind him.  The son of Radha, then, from rage, in that encounter, proceeded against the son of Pandu who was waiting for battle.  Then those two mighty warriors, O king, challenging as they approached each other, those two bulls among men, roared at each other, like clouds at the close of summer.  And the passage-at-arms that then took place between those two engaged lions among men that could not brook each other in battle resembled that of old between the gods and the Danavas.  The son of Kunti, however, whose stock of weapons was exhausted, was (obliged to turn back) pursued by Karna.  Beholding the elephants, huge as hills that had been slain by Arjuna, lying (near), unarmed Bhimasena entered into their midst, for impeding the progress of Karna’s car.  Approaching that multitude of elephants and getting into the midst of that fastness which was inaccessible to a car, the son of Pandu, desirous of saving his life, refrained from striking the son of Radha.  Desirous of shelter, that subjugator of hostile cities viz., the son of Pritha, uplifting an elephant that had been slain by Dhananjaya with his shafts, waited there, like Hanumat uplifting the peak of Gandhamadana.[165] Karna, however, with his shafts, cut off that elephant held by Bhima.  The son of Pandu, thereupon, hurled at Karna the fragments of that elephant’s body as also car-wheels and