SECTION –CLIX
(Tirtha-yatra Parva Continued)
Janamejaya said, "How long did my great
grandsires, the highsouled sons of Pandu of matchless prowess, dwell in the
Gandhamadana mountain? And what did those exceedingly powerful ones, gifted
with manliness, do? And what was the food of those high-souled ones, when those
heroes of the worlds dwelt (there)? O excellent one, do thou relate all about
this. Do thou describe the prowess of Bhimasena, and what that mighty-armed one
did in the mountain Himalayan. Surely, O best of Brahmanas, he did not fight again
with the Yakshas. And did they meet with Vaisravana? Surely, as Arshtishena
said, the lord of wealth cometh thither. All this, O thou of ascetic wealth, I
desire to hear in detail. Surely, I have not yet been fully satisfied by
hearing about their acts."
Vaisampayana continued, "Having heard from
that one of incomparable energy, (Arshtishena), that advice conducive to their
welfare, those foremost of the Bharatas, began to behave always accordingly.
Those best of men, the Pandavas, dwelt upon the Himavan, partaking of the food
eaten by the Munis, and luscious fruit, and the flesh of deer killed with
unpoisoned shafts and various kinds of pure honey. Living thus, they passed the
fifth year, hearing to various stories told by Lomasa. O lord, saying, 'I shall
be present when occasion ariseth,' Ghatotkacha, together with all the
Rakshasas, had ere this already gone away. Those magnanimous ones passed many
months in the hermitage of Arshtishena, witnessing many marvels. And as the
Pandavas were sporting there pleasantly, there came to see them some complacent
vow-observing Munis and Charanas of high fortune, and pure souls. And those
foremost of the Bharata race conversed with them on earthly topics. And it came
to pass that when several days has passed, Suparna all of a sudden carried off
an exceedingly powerful and mighty Naga, living in the large lake. And
thereupon that mighty mountain began to tremble, and the gigantic trees, break.
And all the creatures and the Pandavas witnessed the wonder. Then from the brow
of that excellent mountain, the wind brought before the Pandavas various
fragrant and fair blossoms. And the Pandavas, and the illustrious Krishna,
together with their friends, saw those unearthly blossoms of five hues. And as
the mighty-armed Bhimasena was seated at ease upon the mountain, Krishna
addressed him, saying, 'O best of the Bharata race, in the presence of all the
creatures, these flowers of five hues, carried by the force of the wind raised
by Suparna, are falling in amain on the river Aswaratha. In Khandava thy
high-souled brother, firm in promise, had baffled Gandharvas and Nagas and
Vasava himself, and slain fierce Rakshasas, and also obtained the bow Gandiva.
Thou also art of exceeding prowess and the might of thy arms is great, and
irrepressible, and unbearable like unto the might of Sakra. O Bhimasena,
terrified with the force of thy arms, let all the Rakshasas betake themselves
to the ten cardinal points, leaving the mountain. Then will thy friends be
freed from fear and affliction, and behold the auspicious summit of this
excellent mountain furnished with variegated flowers. O Bhima, I have for long
cherished this thought in my mind,--that protected by the might of thy arms, I
shall see that summit.'
"Thereupon, like a high-mettled bull that
hath been struck, Bhimasena, considering himself as censured by Draupadi, could
not bear (that). And that Pandava of the gait of a lion or a bull, and
graceful, and generous, and having the splendour of gold, and intelligent, and
strong, and proud, and sensitive, and heroic, and having red eyes, and broad
shoulders, and gifted with the strength of mad elephants, and having leonine
teeth and a broad neck, and tall like a young sala tree, and highsouled, and
graceful in every limb, and of neck having the whorls of a shell and
mighty-armed, took up his bow plaited at the back with gold, and also his
sword. And haughty like unto a lion, and resembling a maddened elephant, that
strong one rushed towards that cliff, free from fear or affliction. And all the
creatures saw him equipped with bows and arrows, approaching like a lion or a
maddened elephant. And free from fear or affliction, the Pandava taking his
mace, proceeded to that monarch of mountains causing the delight of Draupadi.
And neither exhaustion, nor fatigue, nor lassitude, nor the malice (of others),
affected that son of Pritha and the Wind-god. And having arrived at a rugged
path affording passage to one individual only, that one of great strength
ascended that terrible summit high as several palmyra palms (placed one upon
another). And having ascended that summit, and thereby gladdened Kinnaras, and
great Nagas, and Munis, and Gandharvas, and Rakshasas, that foremost of the
Bharata line, gifted with exceeding strength described the abode of Vaisravana,
adorned with golden crystal palaces surrounded on all sides by golden walls
having the splendour of all gems, furnished with gardens all around, higher
than a mountain peak, beautiful with ramparts and towers, and adorned with
door-ways and gates and rows of pennons. And the abode was graced with dallying
damsels dancing around, and also with pennons waved by the breeze. And with
bent arms, supporting himself on the end of his bow, he stood beholding with
eagerness the city of the lord of treasures. And gladdening all creatures,
there was blowing a breeze, carrying all perfumes, and of a balmy feel. And
there were various beautiful and wonderful trees of diverse hues resounding
with diverse dulcet notes. And at that place the foremost of the Bharatas
surveyed the palace of the Lord of the Rakshasas scattered with heaps of gems,
and adorned with variegated garlands. And renouncing all care of life the
mighty-armed Bhimasena stood motionless like a rock, with his mace and sword
and bow in his hands. Then he blew his shell making the down of his adversaries
stand erect; and twanging his bow-string, and striking his arms with the hands
he unnerved all the creatures. Thereat with their hairs standing erect, the
Yakshas and Rakshasas began to rush towards the Pandavas, in the direction of
those sounds. And taken by the arms of the Yakshas and Rakshasas the flamed
maces and clubs and swords and spears and javelins and axes, and when, O
Bharata, the fight ensued between the Rakshasas and Bhima, the latter by arrows
cut off the darts, javelins and axes of those possessing great powers of
illusion, and he of exceeding strength with arrows pierced the bodies of the
roaring Rakshasas, both of those that were in the sky, and of those that
remained on the earth. And Bhima of exceeding strength was deluged with the
mighty sanguine rain sprung from the bodies of the Rakshasas with maces and
clubs in their hands and flowing on all sides from their persons. And the
bodies and hands of the Yakshas and Rakshasas were seen to be struck off by the
weapon discharged by the might of Bhima's arms. And then all the creatures saw
the graceful Pandava densely surrounded by the Rakshasas, like unto the Sun
enveloped by clouds. And even as the Sun surrounds everything with his rays,
that mighty-armed and strong one of unfailing prowess, covered all with arrows
destroying foes. And although menacing and uttering yells, the Rakshasas did
not see Bhima embarrassed. Thereupon, with their bodies mangled, the Yakshas
afflicted by fear, Bhimasena began to utter frightful sounds of distress,
throwing their mighty weapons. And terrified at the wielder of a strong bow,
they fled towards the southern quarter, forsaking their maces and spears and
swords and clubs and axes. And then there stood, holding in his hands darts and
maces, the broad-chested and mighty-armed friend of Vaisravana, the Rakshasa
named Maniman. And that one of great strength began to display his mastery and
manliness. And seeing them forsake the fight, he addressed them with a smile,
'Going to Vaisravana's abode, how will ye say unto that lord of wealth, that
numbers have been defeated by a single mortal in battle?' Having said this unto
them that Rakshasa, taking in his hands clubs and javelins and maces, set out
and rushed towards the Pandava. And he rushed in amain like a maddened
elephant. Bhimasena pierced his sides with three choice arrows. And the mighty
Maniman, on his part, in wrath taking and flourishing a tremendous mace hurled
it at Bhimasena. Thereupon Bhimasena beset with innumerable shafts sharpened on
stones, hurled that mighty mace in the sky, dreadful, and like unto the
lightning flash. But on reaching the mace those shafts were baffled; and
although discharged with force by that adept at hurling the mace, still they
could not stay its career. Then the mighty Bhima of dreadful prowess, baffled
his (the Rakshasa's) discharge by resorting to his skill in mace-fighting. In
the meanwhile, the intelligent Rakshasa had discharged a terrible iron club, furnished
with a golden shaft. And that club, belching forth flames and emitting
tremendous roars, all of a sudden pierced Bhima's right arm and then fell to
the ground. On being severely wounded by that club, that bowman, Kunti's son,
of immeasurable prowess, with eyes rolling in ire, took up his mace. And having
taken that iron mace, inlaid with golden plates, which caused the fear of foes
and brought on their defeat, he darted it with speed towards the mighty
Maniman, menacing (him) and uttering shouts. Then Maniman on his part, taking
his huge and blazing dart, with great force discharged it at Bhima, uttering
loud shouts. Thereat breaking the dart with the end of his mace, that
mighty-armed one skilled in mace-fighting, speedily rushed to slay him, as
Garuda (rushed) to slay a serpent. Then all of a sudden, advancing ahead in the
field, that mighty-armed one sprang into the sky and brandishing his mace
hurled it with shouts. And like unto the thunder-bolt hurled by Indra, that
mace like a pest, with the speed of the wind destroyed the Rakshasa and then
fell to the ground. Then all the creatures saw that Rakshasa of terrible
strength slaughtered by Bhima, even like a bull slain by a lion. And the
surviving Rakshasas seeing him slain on the ground went towards the east,
uttering frightful sounds of distress.'"
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