Dhritarashtra said I see, O son of a charioteer, that mine has been the greatest fault in this matter; O Sanjaya, the consequences have now overtaken me, grieve though I may!

Hitherto I thought that what is gone for good. But, O Sanjaya, what measures is gone should now be adopted.

I have now become calm, O Sanjaya; relate to me how this slaughter of heroes is went onslaughter that owes its origin to my evil policy.

Sanjaya said O mighty monarch, then the two powerful heroes Karna and Bhima began to pour showers of arrows, like two rain clouds pouring their contents.

Then gold-winged arrows, whetted on stone and engraved with the name of Bhima, reaching Karna, penetrated thought him cutting him to the very quick.

Similarly Bhima was pierced hundreds and thousands of times by the arrows shot by Karna, that resembled snakes of virulent poison.

An agitation like that produced in the ocean, was then produced in your troops by the arrows of them both, falling on all sides.

O subduer of foes, shot from Bhima's bow, shafts resembling dreadful snakes, began to slay your troops amidst your own army.

With fallen elephants, horses and men, the Earth became covered and looked as if covered with trees broken by the force of the wind.

Wounded with the arrows shot from Bhima's bow, your troops then began to fly away from the field saying what is it?

That host composed of the Sindhus, the Souviras and the Kauravas, afflicted and wounded with the terrible shafts of Bhima and

Karna, was then driven back to a great distance.

Then those heroes, with their ranks thinned and their horses and elephants slain, fled in all directions, leaving Bhima and Karna on the field.

'Indeed for the sake of the Parthas even the gods are robbing us of our senses, inasmuch as those arrows shot both by Bhima and Karna and slaying us.'

Speaking such words, your warriors, struck with panic as they were, stood at a distance out of the range of arrows, for witnessing the combat.

Then on the field of battle a terrible river started up into existence and began to flow there adding to the joy of heroes and to the feat of the cowards.

It caused by the blood of elephants, horses and men. Covered with the lifeless bodies of men, elephants and horses;

With flag-staffs and car-bottoms; with ornaments of cars, elephants and steeds; with shattered chariots, wheels, axels and Kuvaras;

With gold-decked bows of fierce twang and with thousands of arrows and darts furnished with wings of gold.

Shot by Bhima and Karna and resembling snakes just freed from their sloughs; with numerous lances, javelins, swords and battle axes.

With maces and clubs and axes all adorned with gold; with standards of various descriptions and darts and piked bludgeons;

And with beautiful Sataghnis, the earth looked, O Bharata beautiful, Strewn all over with ear-rings and neck-laces of gold and fallen-off bracelets and rings and precious gems worn on diadems and crowns and turbans and golden ornaments of diverse kinds and armours and leathern fences and elephantgirths and umbrellas dropped from their place and chamaras and fans; with the mangled bodies of elephants steeds and men; with arrows bathed in blood and with various other objects lying scattered about loosened from their places, the field of battle appeared beautiful like the sky bespangled with the planets. Beholding their inconceivable, wonderful and super-human feats, the Siddha and the Charanas were filled with surprise. The son of Adhiratha engaged with Bhima coursed on the field in the same way as fire helped on by the wind courses through an extended heap of fuel; both of them cut down numerous standards and chariots and slew countless horses, men and elephants. They fought on like a pair of elephants crushing forests of reeds, when engaged with each other. O ruler of men, then your host looked like a mass of clouds and the carnage caused by Karna and Bhima in that battle was terrible to the extreme.