And desirous of supporting Karna,
these princes invested the Gandharva army, with a large number of cars
and a strong body of horses. Then the whole of the _Gandharva_ host
began to fight with the Kauravas. And the encounter that took place
between the contending hosts was fierce in the extreme and might make
one's hair stand on end. The _Gandharvas_, at last, afflicted with the
shafts of the Kuru army, seemed to be exhausted. And the Kauravas
beholding the _Gandharvas_ so afflicted sent up a loud sound.
"And seeing the _Gandharva_ host yielding to fear, the angry Chitrasena
sprang from his seat, resolved to exterminate the Kuru army. And
conversant with various modes of warfare, he waged on the fight, aided
by his weapons of illusion. And the Kaurava warriors were then all
deprived of their senses by the illusion of Chitrasena. And then, O
Bharata, it seemed that every warrior of the Kuru army was fallen upon
and surrounded by ten _Gandharvas_. And attacked with great vigour, the
Kuru host was greatly afflicted and struck with panic. O king, all of
them that liked to live, fled from the field. But while the entire
Dhritarashtra host broke and fled, Karna, that offspring of the Sun,
stood there, O king, immovable as a hill. Indeed, Duryodhana and Karna
and Sakuni, the son of Suvala, all fought with the _Gandharvas_,
although every one of them was much wounded and mangled in the
encounter. All the _Gandharvas_ then, desirous of slaying Karna, rushed
together by hundreds and thousands towards Karna.
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