Om!

Having bowed down unto Narayana, and unto that most exalted of male beings,
viz.,
Nara, and unto the goddess Saraswati also, must the word Jaya be uttered.
Vaisampayana said, After Drona had been slain, O monarch, the royal warriors (of t
he
Kaurava army) headed by Duryodhana, with hearts filled with great anxiety, all r
epaired to
Drona s son. Lamenting the loss of Drona, and deprived of energy in consequence of
their
cheerlessness, they sat around the son of Saradwat s daughter, afflicted with grie
f. Comforted for
a little while by considerations founded upon the scriptures, when night came, t
hose rulers of
Earth proceeded to their respective tents. Those lords of Earth, however, O thou
of Kuru s race,
could feel no happiness in their abodes. Thinking of that immense slaughter, the
y could not also
sleep. The Suta s son (Karna), and king Suyodhana and Dussasana and Sakuni, in spe
cial, could
not compose themselves to sleep. Those four passed that night together in Duryod
hana s tent,
reflecting upon the woes they had inflicted upon the high-souled Pandavas. Forme
rly they had
brought Draupadi, plunged into woe on account of the match at dice, into the ass
embly.
Recollecting it they experienced great regret, their hearts being filled with an
xiety. Thinking of
those sufferings inflicted (upon the Pandavas) in consequence of the gambling ma
tch they passed
that night in sorrow, O king, as if it were really a hundred years. Then when mo
rning came,
observing the dictates of the ordinance, all of them duly went through the custo
mary rites.
Having gone through these customary rites, and comforted to some extent, O Bhara
ta, they
ordered their troops to be arrayed, and then came out for battle, having made Ka
rna their
generalissimo by tying the auspicious thread round his wrists, and having caused
many foremost
of Brahmanas, by presents of vessels of curds, clarified butter, Akshatas, coins
of gold, kine,
jewels and gems, and costly robes, to pray for their victory, and having caused
heralds and
musicians, and panegyrists to adore them with hymns about victory. The Pandavas
also, O king,
having gone through their morning rites, issued from their camp, resolved on bat
tle. Then
commenced a fierce battle, making the hair to stand on end, between the Kurus an
d the
Pandavas, each desirous of vanquishing the other. During the commandership of Ka
rna, the
battle that took place between the Kuru and the Pandava troops was exceedingly f
ierce and lasted
for two days. Then Vrisha (Karna) having made an immense slaughter of his enemie
s in battle,
was at last slain in the sight of the Dhartarashtras, by Arjuna. Then Sanjaya, r
epairing to
Hastinapura told Dhritarashtra all that had happened at Kurujangala.
Janamejaya said, Having heard of the fall of Bhishma and that