Duryodhana, eager to bolster the confidence of his weary warriors, turned to Drona’s son with unwavering conviction and declared that Arjuna had grown exhausted by the relentless burden of war, while Karna remained unwearied, his spirit blazing with inexhaustible vigor. He proclaimed that the son of Radha, consumed by righteous wrath, would certainly slay Arjuna before the day reached its end. Even if fire lost its heat and mighty mountains trembled in fear, the son of Kunti, he insisted, would never prevail over Karna in the field of battle. Filled with this confidence, Duryodhana moved among his ranks, inspiring the Kaurava warriors with bold words. Instantly, conches, kettledrums, trumpets, and countless war instruments thundered across the battlefield, while both armies raised mighty cries of victory that shook the quarters of the earth.
Then began the long-awaited encounter between Karna and Arjuna, the two greatest masters of celestial warfare. Their chariots rushed forward with irresistible force like two colossal mountains crashing into one another, while their arrows collided like storm-laden clouds releasing their fury upon the world. Every exchange of shafts echoed like thunder. The earth trembled beneath the weight of their contest, and even the heavens appeared disturbed by the terrible resonance of their weapons. Witnessing this extraordinary spectacle, Sanjaya narrated to the aged King Dhritarashtra how the brilliant white horses, the radiant chariots adorned with celestial standards, and the blazing arrows streaking through the sky transformed the battlefield into a vision of divine destruction. The very first encounter between these supreme warriors left every spectator stunned with awe and disbelief as the cries of both armies reverberated endlessly across the heavens.
The Panchalas, unable to restrain their excitement, loudly encouraged Arjuna. They cried, “O Partha, let the summit of your valor blaze forth today. Release torrents of fiery arrows from every direction and overwhelm Karna. End forever the boundless greed and unrighteous ambition of Duryodhana. In the science of archery, none can equal your mastery. Reveal the immeasurable strength of your mighty shoulders and let the world witness the irresistible force of your celestial weapons.”
Meanwhile, the foremost Kaurava heroes gathered around Karna with words of absolute faith. They urged him to prepare for the decisive battle, declaring that before the irresistible precision of his archery even Savyasachi’s glorious pages of victory would come to an end. They confidently proclaimed that no further effort would be required after this encounter, for the Pandavas would lose everything they had painfully regained and would once more return to the forests to live the austere life of wandering ascetics. Duryodhana, they declared, would rule the entire earth without obstacle, and his glory would illuminate every corner of the universe. Such was the confidence with which they strengthened one another before the final struggle.
As the sun slowly descended toward the western horizon, the battlefield assumed an even more solemn grandeur. Karna and Arjuna stood facing one another like the incarnations of Yama at the end of time, each firmly resolved to achieve victory or embrace death. Karna initiated the assault by striking Arjuna with ten swift arrows. Arjuna immediately answered with eighteen razor-edged shafts. Karna then discharged nine arrows against Arjuna and two against Lord Krishna. Unshaken, Arjuna pierced Karna with five deadly arrows that tore through his armor and drew streams of blood from his body.
Enraged by those wounds, Karna abandoned all restraint and unleashed an overwhelming rain of arrows upon both Krishna and Arjuna. Arjuna, firm in mind and steady in purpose, responded by destroying Karna’s weapons, striking his charioteer, and covering his body with an unceasing shower of arrows. Karna, however, displayed astonishing composure and extraordinary skill, countering every assault with effortless precision. The two heroes fought with such unmatched excellence that seasoned warriors, who had witnessed countless battles, stood astonished by the rare spectacle unfolding before them.
Determined to gain the upper hand, Arjuna invoked the mighty Agneyastra. Instantly, flames of supernatural brilliance spread across the heavens. The sky glowed with the radiance of countless lightning flashes as the celestial weapon advanced with the dreadful intention of reducing Karna and his entire division to ashes. It resembled the consuming anger of Yama himself at the dissolution of the universe. Yet Karna remained unmoved. Standing firm without yielding even a single step, he invoked the sacred Varunastra. Its cool, life-giving waters subdued the raging inferno, extinguishing the blazing weapon completely. Witnessing this astonishing feat, the Kaurava army erupted in triumphant cheers.
Without delay, Arjuna released another celestial missile that filled the sky with immense dark clouds, plunging the battlefield into impenetrable darkness. Visibility disappeared, and confusion spread among the warriors. Karna calmly invoked the Vayavyastra. Mighty winds swept across the heavens, scattering the clouds in every direction. The darkness vanished, sunlight returned, and the battlefield once again became visible.
Arjuna then sanctified and released the magnificent Indrastra. Filled with the authority of the king of the gods, the divine missile advanced with irresistible force, terrifying the assembled Kaurava warriors, who trembled as they anticipated its devastating descent. Yet Karna, perfectly disciplined in the sacred science of celestial weapons, subdued its immense power through mantra-charged arrows and immediately followed with a fierce counterattack that wounded Arjuna himself.
Seeing Arjuna struck, Bhima’s heart blazed with indignation. Unable to contain his fury, he cried aloud, “O Dhananjaya, Karna has countered your celestial weapons and wounded you before the eyes of all. Was it not with this very prowess that you once consumed the Khandava forest? Why then do you hesitate today? Strike him down before he escapes. If you abandon your vow, I myself shall rush forward and shatter his head. Yet you have sworn to slay him. Therefore fulfill your sacred promise and sever his life with your unfailing arrows.”
At that critical moment, Lord Krishna addressed Arjuna with grave concern. “O Partha,” He said, “your divine weapons are being rendered ineffective by Karna’s extraordinary mastery. His arrows have pierced your body, while the Kauravas shout with renewed confidence. Observe how the Pandava soldiers, losing courage, have begun to retreat from the battlefield. Have you not perceived this? Reflect deeply upon the proper course. Whatever weapon you require, I shall even place My own divine discus at your disposal if it becomes necessary to destroy this mighty foe.”
Hearing these words, Arjuna smiled with serene confidence. Reverently purifying his mind, he invoked the sacred Brahmastra. Endowed with immeasurable spiritual power, the celestial weapon advanced toward Karna like the irresistible decree of destiny itself. Karna, faithful to the ancient discipline of divine warfare, remained calm, humble, and mentally composed. Through perfect concentration, sacred mantras, and unsurpassed mastery, he diminished the terrible force of the Brahmastra before it could accomplish its intended destruction.
Immediately thereafter, Karna struck both Krishna and Arjuna with three swift arrows each, displaying his relentless determination. Arjuna answered by piercing Karna with nine sharp shafts that tore into his flesh while simultaneously resisting every arrow released against him. Karna then accomplished a remarkable feat by severing the string of the Gandiva and instantly covering Arjuna with an unending storm of razor-edged arrows. Yet Arjuna’s mastery remained unmatched. In but a moment he restrung the Gandiva, shattered Karna’s bow with faultless precision, and, smiling with supreme confidence, stripped away Karna’s protective armor with a multitude of piercing shafts that drew fresh streams of blood from his body. The Kaurava warriors, who moments earlier had rejoiced with confidence, now looked upon the terrible prowess of Arjuna with growing fear and silent apprehension.
Thus Sanjaya continued to narrate these astonishing and deeply disturbing events to King Dhritarashtra. Every description weighed heavily upon the heart of the aged monarch, for the terrible duel between Karna and Arjuna had surpassed the limits of ordinary warfare. It had become the ultimate contest between destiny and free will, between lifelong vows and divine purpose, where every arrow carried the burden of generations, and every passing moment brought the world closer to the inevitable fulfillment of fate foretold in the great epic of the Bharatas.
