SECTION CXXXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Upon the Kuru king
and Bhima, the foremost of all endued with strength, having entered the arena,
the spectators were divided into two parties in consequence of the partiality
swaying their affections. Some cried, 'Behold the heroic king of the
Kurus!'--some--'Behold
Bhima!'--And on account of these cries, there
was, all on a sudden, a loud uproar. And seeing the place become like a
troubled ocean, the intelligent Bharadwaja said unto his dear son, Aswatthaman,
'Restrain both these mighty warriors so proficient in arms. Let not the ire of
the assembly be provoked by this combat of Bhima and Duryodhana.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then the son of
the preceptor of the princes restrained those combatants with their maces
uplifted and resembling two swollen oceans agitated by the winds that blow at
the universal dissolution. And Drona himself entering the yard of the arena
commanded the musicians to stop, and with a voice deep as that of the clouds
addressed these words, 'Behold ye now that Partha who is dearer to me than my
own son, the master of all arms, the son of Indra himself, and like unto the
younger brother of Indra, (Vishnu)! And having performed the propitiatory
rites, the youthful Phalguna, equipped with the finger protector (gauntlet) and
his quiver full of shafts and bow in hand, donning his golden mail, appeared in
the lists even like an evening cloud reflecting the rays of the setting sun and
illumined by the hues of the rainbow and flashes of lightning.
"On seeing Arjuna, the whole assembly were
delighted and conchs began to be blown all around with other musical
instruments. And there arose a great uproar in consequence of the spectators'
exclaiming,--'This is the graceful son of Kunti!'--'This is the middle (third)
Pandava!'--'This is the son of the mighty Indra!'--'This is the protector of the
Kurus'--'This is the foremost of those versed in arms!'--'This is the foremost
of all cherishers of virtue!'--'This is the foremost of the persons of correct
behaviour, the great repository of the knowledge of manners!' At those
exclamations, the tears of Kunti, mixing with the milk of her breast, wetted
her bosom. And his ears being filled with that uproar, that first of men,
Dhritarashtra, asked Vidura in delight, 'O Kshatri, what is this great uproar
for, like unto that of the troubled ocean, arising all on a sudden and rending
the very heavens?' Vidura replied, 'O mighty monarch, the son of Pandu and
Pritha, Phalguna, clad in mail hath entered the lists. And hence this uproar!'
Dhritarashtra said, 'O thou of soul so great, by the three fires sprung from
Pritha who is even like the sacred fuel, I have, indeed, been blessed, favoured
and protected!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'When the
spectators, excited with delight, had somewhat regained their equanimity,
Vibhatsu began to display his lightness in the use of weapons. By the Agneya
weapon, he created fire, and by the Varuna weapon he created water, by the
Vayavya weapon, he created air, and by the Parjanya weapon he created clouds.
And by the Bhauma weapon, he created land, and by the Parvatya weapon, he brought
mountains into being. By the Antardhana weapon all these were made to
disappear. Now the beloved one of his preceptor (Arjuna) appeared tall and now
short; now he was seen on the yoke of his car, and now on the car itself; and
the next moment he was on the ground. And the hero favoured by his practised
dexterity, hit with his various butts--some tender, some fine and some of thick
composition. And like one shaft, he let fly at a time into the mouth of a
moving iron-boar five shafts together from his bow-string. And that hero of
mighty energy discharged one and twenty arrows into the hollow of a cow's horn
hung up on a rope swaying to and fro. In this manner, O sinless one, Arjuna
showed his profound skill in the use of sword, bow, and mace, walking over the
lists in circles.
"And, O Bharata, when the exhibition had
well-nigh ended, the excitement of the spectators had cooled, and the sounds of
instruments had died out there was heard proceeding from the gate, the slapping
of arms, betokening might and strength, and even like unto the roar of the
thunder. And, O king, as soon as this sound was heard, the assembled multitude
instantly thought, 'Are the mountains splitting or is the earth itself rending
asunder, or is the welkin resounding with the roar of gathering clouds? And then
all the spectators turned their eyes towards the gate. And Drona stood,
surrounded by the five brothers, the sons of Pritha, and looked like the moon
in conjunction with the five-starred constellation Hasta. And Duryodhana, that
slayer of foes, stood up in haste and was surrounded by his century of haughty
brothers with Aswatthaman amongst them. And that prince, mace in hand, thus
surrounded by his hundred brothers with uplifted weapons appeared like
Purandara in days of yore, encircled by the celestial host on the occasion of
the battle with the Danavas.'"
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