the army.  Then Kritavarma, O Bharata, surrounded by thy unslaughtered remnant of thy Narayana troops of thy army, quickly proceeded towards the encampment.  Surrounded by a 1,000 gandharvas, Shakuni, beholding the son of Adhiratha slain, proceeded quickly towards the encampment.  Sharadvata’s son, Kripa, O king, surrounded by the large elephant force that resembled a mass of clouds, proceeded quickly towards the encampment.  The heroic Ashvatthama, repeatedly drawing deep breaths at the sight of the victory of the Pandavas, proceeded quickly towards the encampment.  Surrounded by the unslaughtered remnant of the samsaptakas which was still a large force, Susharma also, O king, proceeded, casting his eyes on those terrified soldiers.  King Duryodhana, deeply afflicted and deprived of everything, proceeded, his heart filled with grief, and a prey to many cheerless thoughts.  Shalya, that foremost of car-warriors, proceeded towards the camp, on that car deprived of standard, casting his eyes on all sides.  The other mighty car-warriors of the Bharata army, still numerous, fled quickly, afflicted with fear, filled with shame, and almost deprived of their senses.  Indeed seeing Karna overthrown, all the Kauravas fled away quickly, afflicted and anxious with fear, trembling, and with voices choked with tears.  The mighty car-warriors of thy army fled away in fear, O chief of Kuru’s race, some applauding Arjuna, some applauding Karna.  Amongst those thousands of warriors of thy army in that great battle, there was not a single person who had still any wish for fight.  Upon the fall of Karna, O monarch, the Kauravas became hopeless of life, kingdom, wives, and wealth.  Guiding them with care, O lord, thy son, filled with grief and sorrow, set his heart upon resting them for the night.  Those great car-warriors also, O monarch, accepting his orders with bent heads, retired from the field with cheerless hearts and pale faces.’”

96

“Sanjaya said, ’After Karna had thus been slain and the Kaurava troops had fled away, he of Dasharha’s race, embracing Partha from joy, said unto him these words:  “Vritra was slain by thee.  Men will talk (in the same breath) of the slaughter of Vritra and Karna in awful battle.  Vritra was slain in battle by the deity of great energy with his thunder.  Karna hath been slain by thee with bow and sharp arrows.  Go, O son of Kunti, and represent, O Bharata, unto king Yudhishthira the just, this prowess of thine that is capable of procuring thee great fame and that hath become well-known in the world.  Having represented unto king Yudhishthira the just, this slaughter of Karna in battle for compassing which thou hadst been endeavouring for a long course of years, thou wilt be freed from the debt thou owest to the king.  During the progress of the battle between thyself and Karna, the son of Dharma once came for beholding the field.  Having, however, been deeply and exceedingly pierced (with arrows), he could