Karna Stands Firm Against the Gandharvas
The Gandharvas descend on the sons of Dhritarashtra, who scatter in terror — all except Karna. Alone, he unleashes a storm of arrows that cuts through the celestial host, forcing even Chitrasena to take notice. But when the Gandharva king fights back with weapons of maya (illusion), the tide turns, and each Kaurava prince finds himself surrounded by ten attackers.
The Gandharvas came down from the sky like a storm breaking open. Their weapons were raised, their war cries filled the air, and the sons of Dhritarashtra — every one of them — turned and fled in all directions.
All except one.
Vaikartana Karna stood his ground. He was not reluctant to do battle. When the great army of Gandharvas descended on him, he met them with a shower of arrows so dense it seemed to rise from the earth and block out the sky. With extraordinary lightness of hand, the suta's son killed hundreds of Gandharvas — using kshurapra s (razor-headed arrows), vishikha s (broad-headed shafts), bhalla s (spear-pointed missiles), vatsadanta s (calf-tooth shaped arrows), and iron-tipped projectiles. He sliced off heads. He scattered Chitrasena's entire army in a short while.
But the Gandharvas were not mortal men. Though they fell by the hundreds, they returned in thousands. The earth was covered with them again. Chitrasena's soldiers descended with renewed force.
Then Duryodhana, Shakuni Soubala, Duhshasana, Vikarna, and the other sons of Dhritarashtra climbed back into their chariots — chariots that screeched like Garuda — and began to fight. They placed Karna at the forefront and repulsed the Gandharvas together. The roar of chariots and the stamping of horses filled the battlefield. The Gandharvas began to wilt under the assault. The Kouravyas roared in triumph.
Chitrasena saw his forces frightened. He was overcome with anger. He flew up from his seat, resolved to kill them, and began to fight with weapons of maya (illusion), following paths that were not of this world. The Kouravyas were bewildered. It seemed as if each of Dhritarashtra's sons was assailed and surrounded by ten Gandharvas at once. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 527