The Duel Between Arjuna And Karna
For a few moments everyone was petrified by that scene of unprecedented violence, no one had moved.
Then Vrishasena, seized by a fit of rage, shouting menacingly, rushed towards Bhima. But before he could get too close, Arjuna intercepted him and after a duel killed him, as he had sworn. Karna had seen his son die, but he hadn’t been able to do anything for him, so sudden had it been.
Shedding bitter tears he spoke to Shalya.
“This other son too, after so many relatives and friends. After this umpteenth tragedy how can I wish to live in a world inhabited by Arjuna? My friend, I promise: today one of us will have to die.”
The two greatest archers in the world found themselves facing each other. After a bitter exchange of words, that long-awaited duel began.
It was then that Asvatthama ran to Duryodhana, and found him still in the blackest despair over the horrendous death of his dearest brother.
“Stop this war,” the Brahmana warned him, “Or soon none of us will be left alive. You too have seen how much fury there was in Bhima while he was killing Duhssasana, and you also saw so many warriors who were considered invincible die. My father and Bhishma and so many others have fallen, how can you hope to beat them? You have to convince yourself: the Pandavas are stronger. Right now Karna is facing Arjuna and soon he too will lie on the ground lifeless. End this war, then, and save all these lives.”
Duryodhana thought for a moment, then said:
“Too much blood and too much hatred have passed, and this river can no longer be stopped. Perhaps if I had realized this truth a few days ago it would have been possible, but now it is no longer possible. They will never forgive us for Abhimanyu’s death, as well as I will never be able to forget the death of Duhssasana. Now this flood of hatred can only be stopped by my death or theirs.”
Meanwhile Karna and Arjuna continued their duel.
At a certain point they began to use divine weapons, and unfortunately the effects spread indiscriminately on the common soldiers, who could not help but flee. Bhima joined his brother.
“Arjuna, our warriors cannot bear the weight of the divine weapons of Karna. You must kill him now. Why don’t you do it? If you have any reason, tell it, and I’ll take care of it myself, as I could on other occasions. But that damned thing must be stopped immediately.”
It was Krishna who encouraged the Pandava by telling him a story about him.
“Arjuna, you do not remember, but in our previous life we two were the sages Nara and Narayana and lived peacefully on the Himalayan slopes. One day King Dambodbhava passed by our hermitage; after a while a disagreement arose between you two, which led to a fierce duel and, finally, you killed him using the brahmashtra. Your enemy today is that reincarnated king, and you can kill him again using the same weapon. Don’t delay, do it soon.”
By the grace of the Lord, Arjuna clearly recalled all the events of his previous life and the story of his enmity with Dambodbhava. Then he redoubled his efforts and pressed hard on Karna, putting him in serious trouble.
Meanwhile Yudhisthira, still unsteady from the serious injuries suffered, when they told him that the great duel had begun, he didn’t want to hear reasons and got up. He could not resist the anxiety of knowing that Arjuna was facing that much feared enemy; he wanted to see the story for himself.
Meanwhile great clouds had gathered in the sky which the Devas crowded to watch the fight; among them were also Indra and Surya, who came to incite their respective sons.
The battle was great: the skill and anger profused by the two in that circumstance had never been seen in this world. It was a fantastic show.
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 2”.
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