into him, “Slay that great snake inimical to thee.”  Thus addressed by the slayer of Madhu, the wielder of Gandiva, that bowman who was always fierce unto foes, enquired of him, saying, “Who is that snake that advanceth of his own accord against me, as if, indeed he advanceth right against the mouth of Garuda?” Krishna replied, “Whilst thou, armed with bow, wert engaged at Khandava in gratifying the god Agni, this snake was then in the sky, his body ensconced within his mother’s.  Thinking that it was only a single snake that was so staying in the sky, thou killedest the mother.  Remembering that act of hostility done by thee, he cometh towards thee today for thy destruction.  O resister of foes, behold him coming like a blazing meteor, falling from the firmament!’”

“Sanjaya continued, ’Then Jishnu, turning his face in rage, cut off, with six keen shafts, that snake in the welkin as the latter was coursing in a slanting direction.  His body thus cut off, he fell down on the earth.  After that snake had been cut off by Arjuna, the lord Keshava himself, O king, of massive arms, that foremost of beings, raised up with his arms that car from the earth.  At that time, Karna, glancing obliquely at Dhananjaya, pierced that foremost of persons, viz., Krishna, with ten shafts whetted on stone and equipped with peacock feathers.  Then Dhananjaya, piercing Karna with a dozen well-shot and keen arrows equipped with heads like the boar’s ear, sped a cloth-yard shaft endued with the energy of a snake of virulent poison and shot from his bow-string stretched to his ear.  That foremost of shafts, well shot by Arjuna, penetrated through Karna’s armour, and as if suspending his life breaths, drank his blood and entered the earth, its wings also having been drenched with gore.  Endued with great activity, Vrisha, enraged at the stroke of the shaft, like a snake beaten with stick, shot many mighty shafts, like snakes of virulent poison vomiting venom.  And he pierced Janardana with a dozen shafts and Arjuna with nine and ninety.  And once more piercing the son of Pandu with a terrible shaft, Karna laughed and uttered a loud roar.  The son of Pandu, however, could not endure his enemy’s joy.  Acquainted with all the vital parts of the human body, Partha, possessed of prowess like that of Indra, pierced those vital limbs with hundreds of arrows even as Indra had struck Vala with great energy.  Then Arjuna sped ninety arrows, each resembling the rod of Death at Karna.  Deeply pierced with those shafts, Karna trembled like a mountain riven with thunder.  The head-gear of Karna, adorned with costly gems and precious diamonds and pure gold, as also his earrings, cut off by Dhananjaya with his winged arrows, fell down on the earth.  The costly and bright armour also of the Suta’s son that had been forged with great care by many foremost of artists working for a long time, the son of Pandu cut off within a moment in many fragments.  After thus divesting him of his armour, Partha then, in