Mahabharata 8.40.45

8.40.45

teṣāmādhirathiḥ kruddho yatamānānmanasvinaḥ |
vicinvanneva bāṇāgraiḥ samāsādayadagrataḥ || 45 ||

"'Meanwhile the mighty Karna, having vanquished Satyaki and desirous of rescuing the (Kuru) king, proceeded straight against the face of Drona's slayer, that warrior of fierce shafts. The grandson of Sini, however, quickly pursued him from behind, striking him with his arrows, like an elephant pursuing a rival and striking him at the hinder limbs with his tusks. Then, O Bharata, fierce became the battle that raged between the high-souled warriors of the two armies, in the space that intervened between Karna and the son of Prishata. Not a single combatant of either the Pandavas nor ourselves turned his face from the battle. Then Karna proceeded against the Pancalas with great speed. At that hour when the Sun had ascended the meridian, great slaughter, O best of men, of elephants and steeds and men, took place on both sides. The Pancalas, O king, inspired with the desire of victory, all rushed with speed against Karna like birds towards a tree. The son of Adhiratha, of great energy, filled with rage, began from their front to strike those Pancalas, with the keen points of his shafts, singling out their leaders, viz., Vyaghraketu and Susharma and Citra and Ugrayudha and Jaya and Sukla and Rochamana and the invincible Singhasena. Those heroes, speedily advancing with their cars, encompassed that foremost of men, and poured their shafts upon that angry warrior, viz., Karna, that ornament of battle. That foremost of men endued with great valour, viz., the son of Radha, afflicted those eight heroes engaged in battle with eight keen shafts. The Suta's son possessed of great prowess, O king, then slew many thousands of other warriors skilled in fight. Filled with rage, the son of Radha then slew Jishnu, and Jishnukarman, and Devapi, O king, in that battle, and Citra, and Citrayudha, and Hari, and Singhaketu and Rochamana and the great car-warrior Salabha, and many car-warriors among the Cedis bathed the form of Adhiratha's son in blood, while he himself was engaged in taking the lives of those heroes. There, O Bharata, elephants, assailed with arrows by Karna, fled away on all sides in fear and caused a great agitation on the field of battle. Others assailed with the shafts of Karna, uttered diverse cries, and fell down like mountains riven with thunder. With the fallen bodies of elephants and steeds and men and with fallen cars, the Earth became strewn along the track of Karna's car. Indeed, neither Bhishma, nor Drona, nor any other warrior of thy army had ever achieved such feats as were then achieved by Karna in that battle. Amongst elephants, amongst steeds, amongst cars and amongst men, the Suta's son caused a very great carnage, O tiger among men. As a lion is seen to career fearlessly among a herd of deer, even so Karna careered fearlessly among the Pancalas. As a lion routeth a herd of terrified deer to all points of the compass, even so Karna routed those throngs of Pancala cars to all sides. As a herd of deer that have approached the jaws of a lion can never escape with life, even so those great car-warriors that approached Karna could not escape with their lives. As people are certainly burnt if they come in contact with a blazing fire, even so the Srinjayas, O Bharata, were burnt by the Karna-fire when they came in contact with it. Many warriors among the Cedis and the Pancalas, O Bharata, that were regarded as heroes, were slain by the single-handed Karna in that battle who fought with them, proclaiming his name, in every instance. Beholding the prowess of Karna, O king, I thought that a single Pancala even would not, in that battle, escape from the son of Adhiratha. Indeed, the Suta's son in that battle repeatedly routed the Pancalas.