by Kotru, Umesh
After a while Karna told Shalya to lead his chariot in the direction where Arjuna and his brothers were positioned. He said, “Today even if Indra along with his entire army of Devatas comes to the aid of Arjuna and the Pandavas, they will not be able to protect Arjuna from my attack. I want you to take me over to face Arjuna in a direct encounter.” Shalya again retorted jeeringly, “Karna, why are you inviting your own downfall? You are no match to Arjuna. Have you forgotten how he defeated you along with all other Kaurava heroes in the battle of Viratanagara? Why could you not overcome Arjuna at that time? You should stay behind the battle lines under the protection of the army instead of seeking direct confrontation with Arjuna.” This made Karna red with anger and he replied, “Maharaj, are you my friend or enemy? You seem to have lost your mind and that is why you are praising my opponent instead of giving me encouragement. I can now see that your attitude is in conformity with the weird ways of the people of Madra Desha – the region you come from. Reputations are not built overnight. How can you be different from your people who are reputed to be uncivilised with no respect for tradition? But, let me tell you, your provocative words will have no impact on me. I am not a coward. I also possess formidable weapons which I will use against Arjuna today. I did not use those weapons earlier and have reserved them for use against a worthy opponent like Arjuna. Not even the Devatas can stop me from achieving my mission today. I will surely overcome Arjuna today or achieve martyrdom at his hands in the same heroic fashion as Pitamaha Bhishma and Guru Dronacharya. Now keep your mouth shut and do your assigned duty; take my chariot forward.”
Besides retorting with a few barbs of his own, Shalya became quiet for some time. But he could not contain himself for long. After a while, he started needling Karna again: “Karna, in order to contain your vanity within reasonable limits let me, as a well-wisher, narrate a story to you. Long ago in a coastal kingdom there lived a rich merchant. He had two young sons. The sons had brought up a crow as their pet. They would take good care of the crow and let him eat their leftovers, which made the crow feel proud as it got rich nourishment without having to make any efforts. Very soon the crow started thinking that he was best among all the birds in the world. One day a flock of cranes landed nearby. The crow asked his masters who those birds were. Upon being informed that they were cranes who had come from some far-away land and were capable of flying for long distances, the crow became jealous. Deluded by its conceit of superiority, it thought of showing the cranes their place in the hierarchy of birds. The crow then went to the cranes and challenged them to a flying competition. Initially the cranes did not agree, knowing that the crow was no match to their flying capability. But when the crow insisted, one of the cranes agreed and a day was fixed for the competition. It was decided that the path of the flight would pass over a vast span of ocean. When the competition began, the crow took off and flew away very fast while the crane maintained a graceful flying speed. The crow regaled the audience on the land below with a variety of flying skills. Although the crow went far ahead of the crane, it could not continue for long and soon became tired. It started falling off from its course and being tired could barely manage to keep itself airborne. By that time the rivals were flying over the ocean. Before long, the tired crow dipped to the level of waves and its wings started touching the water. The crane was watching the precarious condition of the crow. Finally, the crow became desperate and cried out to the crane for help. The crane swooped down and with its beak lifted the crow, just before it was about to drown. The crane put the crow on its back and flying back to the place where the competition had commenced, it placed the distressed crow safely on ground. The contrite crow was thus made to eat humble pie.
My dear Karna, here now is the moral of the story for your benefit. Having been brought up on the leftovers of its rich masters, the crow had become boastful and considered itself superior to all other birds. In the similar fashion you have been nourished by the evil Duryodhana and his brothers, which has served only to inflate your hubris. I recommend that you should recognise the greatness of Arjuna and Shri Krishna. Instead of seeking to confront them, I advise you to seek their protection, in much the same manner as the desperate crow saved itself by seeking the protection of the crane.”
Karna replied, “Maharaj Shalya, unlike the crow of your fable, I am under no illusion. I am fully aware of my capabilities. My knowledge about Shri Krishna and Arjuna is better than yours and I am not entertaining any misconceptions in my mind on that count. In spite of that I am willing and confident to take on Arjuna today. Let me reveal a secret to you since I consider you my friend, even though you are not behaving as one. In preparing to face Arjuna today, I am worried only on account of two curses that I received from my Guru Parashurama and by another Brahmin.” Karna narrated the details about the manner in which he invited those curses to Shalya. He continued, “Despite knowing that without the Brahma Astra I will be at a disadvantage against Arjuna, I am ready to take him on since I have other powerful weapons available to me. Today you will witness an unprecedented battle and I want you to judge for yourself whether my statements are mere hollow talk or carry any real substance. Therefore, please stop trying to dissuade me from my mission and dedicate yourself whole-heartedly to the job assigned to you.”
Chapter-22
The Curtain Falls
As bidden by Karna, Shalya led his chariot closer to the Pandava army. All the Pandava brothers, together with Dhrishtadyumna and other senior Panchala commanders were leading the Pandava army from the front. Seeing them from a distance, Karna urged Shalya to quickly proceed towards them. Carrying forward the upper hand Karna had gained over the Pandava army on the previous evening, he launched a massive attack on them. Karna penetrated deep inside the Pandava lines and started decimating the army. Raining numerous arrows on his enemy, he killed thousands of soldiers within a short time. It appeared that he was verily unstoppable. With a single shot of his arrow, he was bringing down many soldiers of the Pandava army. He also killed five major Panchala commanders named Bhanudeva, Chitrasena, Senavindu, Tapana and Shurasena. This caused panic among the Pancahala army. Several Panchala warriors surrounded Karna on all sides, but Karna killed all of them with ease.
While Karna was engaged in this terrible battle, his chariot was protected by his sons on all sides. His sons Sushena and Chitrasena provided protection on the right and left flanks, while his eldest son Vrishasena secured the rear side. The casualties caused by Karna were extremely heavy, which forced Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki, Bhimasena, Nakula, Sahadeva and Shikhandi to mount a coordinated counter-attack on Karna to restrain him. All of them simultaneously showered arrows on Karna. Karna’s sons, together with other Kaurava warriors, assisted Karna in repelling the counter-attack. In the ensuing battle, Bhimasena managed to kill Karna’s son Bhanusena. Bhima proceeded to attack Sushena. Seeing that, Karna immediately came to the assistance of his son and forced Bhima to retreat. On the other hand, Vrishasena confronted Satyaki and kept him at bay. He also injured Nakula, Sahadeva and Shikhandi. Karna displayed amazing swiftness and foiled every attack of the Pandava commanders. He pierced all of them with sharp arrows. Karna’s handling of his bow was so impressive that nobody was able to make out when he took an arrow from his quiver, when he mounted it on his bow, and when it was released. Everything appeared to be taking place simultaneously. This feat of Karna inspired Shalya as well. He managed the horses in such a fashion that Karna appeared to be moving from one part of the battlefield to another in no time. The Pandava army was completely dazed and felt as though they were under attack from Karna on all sides. He appeared like a blazing afternoon sun, spewing fire in all directions. In this manner Karna burst through the rank and file of Pandava army and started making his way towards Yudhishthira.
The entire Pandava army rallied to provide protection to their king and stop Karna from reaching anywhere near Yudhishthira. However, nobody was able to stop Karna or even slow down his advance. He mowed down th
ousands of Pandava soldiers in the process. Within no time he stood face to face with Yudhishthira, who addressed Karna in a very angry tone, “O Suta Putra, you have always held ill will towards me and my brothers. Your jealousy towards Arjuna is also well known to all. You and your evil friend have always been hatching plots to harm all of us. Today I will put your existence to an end. I challenge you to pull together all your courage and prepare to face me and perish in the process.”
Karna did not respond. He was mindful about the unequal nature of this contest, coupled with the promise he had made to Kunti on the eve of the war. Hence he maintained calm and wore an enigmatic smile on his face. This angered Yudhishthira further and he started shooting arrows at Karna. Firing a volley of arrows in retaliation, Karna injured Yudhishthira. He also killed all his bodyguards. Intensifying his attack further, he destroyed Yudhishthira’s chariot and his weapons. Watching their leader getting badly pinned down by Karna, all the commanders of the Pandava army fighting nearby, rushed to his rescue. All of them attacked Karna from several directions. Karna invoked divine weapons which caused an incessant shower of arrows to fall upon his opponents. The sheer intensity of the volley of arrows was such that it created darkness all around the battlefield. As a result, a number of prominent Pandava warriors, including scores of soldiers, perished in the fierce battle. Yudhishthira got badly injured. Seeing this, Satyaki and Shikhandi rushed forward to check Karna. Both of them were pinned down by Karna and forced to retreat. This left Yudhishthira in a completely vulnerable position and he took to his heals. Karna pursued Yudhishthira and caught him by his neck.
Although Karna did not intend to kill Yudhishthira (on account of the promise he had made to Kunti), the manner in which he was holding Yudhishthira by his neck made Shalya feel as though he was going to put an end to his life. In order to prevent Karna from killing Yudhishthira he shouted, “Karna, restrain yourself from entertaining any thoughts about harming Maharaj Yudhishthira. He is a great soul. If you do not let him go immediately, he will burn you down to ashes.” Karna laughed loudly in response and said, “Maharaj Shalya, I am holding the eldest Pandava in my clutches in the same fashion as a tiger holds a fawn in its mouth. I can feel him trembling with fear. How can he retaliate in this situation? Actually I don’t consider him fit to die at my hands. On account of his pious activities during the exile, he has become more of a Brahmin than a Kshatriya, if at all he ever was one. I suggest he should take no further part in this war and do what he is actually fit for, which is to conduct Yajnas like a Brahmin. I have no interest in killing him.” With this, Karna released his hold on Yudhishthira and let him go. Hanging his head in shame and feeling badly humiliated, Yudhishthira walked slowly in the direction of his army while Karna departed in the other direction.
Karna resumed his attack on the enemy army and once again started decimating the Pandava forces. This filled the entire Kaurava army with joy and boosted their morale. On the other hand, after returning amidst his commanders, Yudhishthira narrated the details of the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Karna to Bhima and urged him to take on Karna. Bhima, filled with rage, immediately proceeded in Karna’s direction. Before departing he addressed Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki, “both of you stay put near Maharaj Yudhishthira and guard him against any attack. I will show the Suta Putra his real place and return only after killing him.” Bhima rallied the Pandava army and mounted a fierce counter-attack on the Kauravas. Reeling under the terrible attack, the Kaurava army began to scatter in all directions. Many soldiers fled to save their lives. Realising this quick turnaround caused by Bhima, Karna instructed Shalya to lead his chariot towards him. He challenged Bhima to a duel. Bhima responded by rushing forward to meet his adversary.
Bhima’s face turned red with anger. Taking note of this Shalya said, “Karna, behold the mighty Vrikodara. He is in a terrible mood. In his current state he is an embodiment of Agni himself. I don’t think there is anyone in this world capable of facing Bhima in his present mood.” Karna replied, “Maharaj, I agree with what you said. I am well aware of Bhima’s ability, particularly when he is aroused and angry. In such a state he is the personification of Yama. But at the same time, I am ready to face him and am capable of defeating him. I also see this as an opportunity for an early confrontation with Arjuna. He will surely come to protect his brother. I can then go on to fulfill my objective of either killing Arjuna or getting killed at his hands.”
Soon thereafter, Bhima mounted a terrible assault on Karna against which he promptly retaliated. While arrows shot by Karna pierced Bhima in several parts on his body, Bhima also managed to badly injure Karna. He fired a sharp arrow at Karna, which penetrated deep into his chest and made him fall unconscious in his chariot. Shalya reacted promptly and swiftly carried Karna away to safety. From a far corner, Duryodhana was observing this development. He immediately instructed his brothers to simultaneously attack Bhima in order to check his onslaught. Many of Duryodhana’s brothers got killed by Bhima in this counter-attack. The rest of them were forced to retreat. This caused panic among the Kaurava army and they started fleeing in all directions. In the mean time, Karna regained consciousness and returned to the battle. This time he managed to overcome Bhima. He destroyed his chariot and killed its charioteer as well. With his sharp arrows he injured Bhima and forced him to retreat.
Encouraged by this victory over Bhima achieved by Karna, Duryodhana was overwhelmed with joy. He, together with Ashvatthama and other senior commanders of the Kaurava army, huddled around Karna and congratulated him on his achievement. Every warrior in the Kaurava army got fired up as a result. At the same time, Ashvatthama raised his voice and shouted, “I vow not to remove my armour till I kill Dhrishtadyumna, who is responsible for killing my father by deceitful means.” After this brief pause, all of them proceeded to join the battle with renewed vigour.
The two armies resumed fighting. Ashvatthama sought Dhrishtadyumna and started taking him on. Arjuna who was engaged with the Samshaptakas, rushed to the rescue of Dhrishtadyumna after observing that Ashvatthama was gaining the upper hand. He routed the Kaurava army and began having the better of Ashvatthama. Ashvatthama fired the Indra Astra on the Pandava army. This divine weapon created a web of arrows around the Pandava army. In response, Arjuna fired another divine weapon named Mahendra Astra which neutralised the impact of Indra Astra. After a prolonged battle, Arjuna defeated Ashvatthama, who withdrew from the encounter.
Amidst the Pandava army, Nakula and Sahadeva were guarding Yudhishthira. As soon as Karna saw them, he rushed in their direction and shouted, “I thought you would have retired to your camp after the drubbing you received at my hands. Now brace for another assault.” Karna fired several arrows at Yudhishthira. On account of having sustained injuries during his previous encounter with Karna, he felt even more tormented and blood started gushing out from the fresh wounds caused by Karna’s renewed attack. At this Shalya became apprehensive that Yudhishthira might succumb to his injuries. In order to divert Karna’s attention he said, “Karna look over there. Bhima is tormenting your sons; you should rush to their rescue.” He turned the chariot around in that direction and took Karna away from Yudhishthira. Taking this opportunity, Yudhishthira decided to leave the battlefield and return to his camp. He was escorted by Nakula and Sahadeva. Yudhishthira’s wounds were immediately attended to at his tent and he was made to lie down on his bed by his attendants.
On the other hand, Arjuna together with other senior commanders of the Pandava army continued to decimate the Kaurava forces. The intensity of their attack was so severe that the Kauravas once again started fleeing the battlefield. Looking at his army in disarray, Duryodhana approached Karna and said, “Friend, only you can stop Arjuna at this juncture. I urge you to use your divine weapons for my sake.” Karna invoked the powerful Bhargava Astra. This weapon created an incessant shower of arrows and spears to fall on the Pandava army. Looking at Shri Krishna, Arjuna said, “Keshava, Karna is rushing in my direction
and challenging me for a duel. I think I should respond and proceed towards him.” Shri Krishna, however, did not consider it an opportune time to let Arjuna face Karna. He also wanted to tire out Karna a bit more before letting them face each other. He, therefore said, “Partha, I think we should return to our camp. I learnt that Yudhishthira is badly injured and he has gone back to his tent. We should go and enquire about his well being. He needs you at this hour of distress. We can let Bhima take charge of the proceedings for the time being. He is fully capable of keeping Karna in check.” Before Arjuna could reluctantly agree, Shri Krishna swiftly turned the chariot back towards the Pandava camp.
Shri Krishna and Arjuna quickly proceeded towards Yudhishthira’s tent and saw him lying on a bed nursing his wounds. Both of them respectfully touched his feet. Arrival of Arjuna and Shri Krishna at their camp before the end of the day, made Yudhishthira presume that Arjuna had managed to kill Karna. He felt happy and said, “Arjuna, I am glad that at last Karna has fallen in the battlefield at your hands. He was a cause of great anxiety to me. You are aware that I have not been able to sleep properly eversince I was witness to Karna’s astounding display of archery in the tournament during our graduation ceremony. He was one of the mightiest heroes of the Kaurava army and in my opinion the best wielder of the bow. His knowledge of divine weapons was also inferior to none. Having eliminated Karna today, you have assured complete victory for our army. A big load has been removed from my shoulders and I am feeling extremely relieved. I want to know in detail about how you fought against Karna and how you eventually killed him.”
Arjuna and Shri Krishna kept quiet for a while and looked at each other in bewilderment. Clearing his throat Arjuna broke the silence and started narrating details about his battle with the Samshaptakas and his encounter with Ashvatthama. This made Yudhishthira angry. Interrupting Arjuna he said, “I am not interested in knowing about your fight with Samshaptakas and Ashvatthama. Give me specific details about your duel with the Suta Putra.” Arjuna responded gingerly, “Dear brother, I am sorry to inform you that your presumption about the end of Karna is not correct. After defeating Ashvatthama, I was about to proceed towards Karna when Shri Krishna informed me about your injuries. Both of us felt it would be appropriate to return to our camp first to enquire about your health. I have requested Bhimasena to take charge of the battle. I am sure he is capable of taking care of Karna till my return. I must also add that today Karna appears to be unstoppable by anybody. But I am prepared to take him on and kill him when I return to the battle. This is my sincere resolve. I therefore want Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki, Uttamauja and Yudhamanyu to provide protection to my chariot during my battle with Karna.”
