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“Dhritarashtra said, ’When our troops were broken in battle by Bhimasena, what, O Sanjaya, did Duryodhana and Subala’s son say?  Or, what did Karna, that foremost of victors, or the warriors of my army in that battle, or Kripa, or Kritavarma, or Drona’s son Duhshasana, say?  Exceedingly wonderful, I think, is the prowess of Pandu’s son, since, single-handed, he fought in battle with all the warriors of my army.  Did the son of Radha act towards the (hostile) troops according to his vow?  That slayer of foes, Karna, O Sanjaya, is the prosperity, the armour, the fame, and the very hope of life, of the Kurus.  Beholding the army broken by Kunti’s son of immeasurable energy, what did Karna, the son of Adhiratha and Radha, do in that battle?  What also did my sons, difficult of defeat in battle, do, or the other kings and mighty car-warriors of our army?  Tell me all this, O Sanjaya, for thou art skilled in narration!’

“Sanjaya said, ’In that afternoon, O monarch, the Suta’s son of great valour began to smite all the Somakas in the very sight of Bhimasena.  Bhima also of great strength began to destroy the Dhartarashtra troops.  Then Karna, addressing (his driver) Shalya, said unto him, “Bear me to the Pancalas.”  Indeed, beholding his army in course of being routed by Bhimasena of great intelligence, Karna once more addressed his driver, saying, ‘Bear me to the Pancalas only.’  Thus urged, Shalya, the ruler of the Madras, endued with great might, urged those white steeds that were fleet as thought, towards the Cedis, the Pancalas and the Karushas.  Penetrating then into that mighty host, Shalya, that grinder of hostile troops, cheerfully conducted those steeds into every spot that Karna, that foremost of warriors, desired to go to.  Beholding that car cased in tiger skins and looking like a cloud, the Pandus and the Pancalas, O monarch, became terrified.  The rattle then of that car, like unto the peal of thunder or the sound of a mountain splitting into fragments, became audible in that dreadful battle.  With hundreds upon hundreds of keen arrows sped from the bow-string drawn to his ear, Karna then smote hundreds and thousands of warriors belonging to the Pandava army.  While the unvanquished Karna was employed in achieving those feats, many mighty bowmen and great car-warriors among the Pandavas encompassed him on all sides.  Indeed, Shikhandi, and Bhima, and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and the (five) sons of Draupadi, and Satyaki, surrounded the son of Radha, pouring showers of arrows upon him, from desire of despatching him to the other world.  The heroic Satyaki, that best of men, struck Karna in that engagement with twenty keen shafts in the shoulder-joint.  Shikhandi struck him with five and twenty shafts, and Dhrishtadyumna struck him with seven, and the sons of Draupadi with four and sixty, and Sahadeva with seven, and Nakula with a hundred, in that battle.  The mighty Bhimasena, in that