Sanjaya said When he had been thus speaking, the venerable grandsire of the Kurus, pleased with him, addressed to him these words suitable to season and place.

May you be the refuge of your friends, even as the ocean is the refuge of the rivers, the sun of the other planets, the pious of the truth, fertile soil of the seeds and Parjanya of the created beings. May your relations depend on you even as the immortals depend upon the thousand-eyed Indra.

May you be the humiliator of the pride of your enemies, and may you be the enhancer of the delight of your friends, the Kauravas, as Vishnu is of the denizens of heaven.

( Karna, ever anxious to perform the pleasures of the son of Dhritarashtra, you, with the strength and vigour of your arms, did defeat the Kambojas, having goue to their country, namely Rajapura.

You also vanquished the monarchs who was stopping at Girivraja and who was headed by Nagnajit, as also the Ambasthas, the Vidchas and the Gandharvas.

O Karna, in days gone by, you brought under the authority of Duryodhana the Kiratas obstinate in battle and peopling the strongholds of the Himavat.

The Utkalas, the Mekhalas, the Paundras, the Kalingas, the Nishadhas, the Trigarttas and the Valhikas, were also worsted in battle by you.

O Karna, desirous of doing good to Duryodhana, you defeated in battle in various lands, O hero, numerous highly vigorous clans.

May you, O son, be the shelter of all the Kauravas, even as Duryodhana is, with his friends, relatives and kinsmen.

I do bid you farewell in benedictory language; go and fight with enemy; command the Kurus in battle and secure victory for Duryodhana.

Like Duryodhana, you are to us our grandson. Therefore, by the ordinances, we are the same to you as we are to him.

O foremost of men, the intelligent hold that in this world the connection of the pious with the pious is more closer in respect of relationship than that through the uterus.

Therefore being faithfully united with the Kurus and believing their army to be your own, do you, like Duryodhana himself, protect it."

Having heard these words of him (Bhishma) and having bowed down to his feet, Karna, the son of Vikartana, went to the place where all the bowmen were assembled.

Beholding that matchless and extensive encampment of the innumerable army, Karna encouraged that host of well-accoutered and broad-chested soldiers.

All the Kurus, having Duryodhana at their head, were greatly delighted; and seeing that mighty-armed and high-souled Karna come with the intent of battle and place himself at the command of the whole host, the Kurus welcomed him, with sounds produced by the striking of the arm-pits, with rending shouts, twang of bow-strings, roars like that of lions and diverse other kinds of sounds.