p. 129

SECTION LXXV

"Vaisampayana said, 'That foremost of steeds then proceeded to the realm of Pragjyotisha and began to wander there. At this, Bhagadatta's son, who was exceedingly valorous in battle, came out (for encountering Arjuna). King Vajradatta, O chief of the Bharatas, finding the (sacrificial) steed arrived within his realm, fought (for detaining it). The royal son of Bhagadatta, issuing out of his city, afflicted the steed that was coming (and seizing it), marched back towards his own place. Marking this, the mighty-armed chief of the Kuru race, speedily stretched his Gandiva, and suddenly rushed towards his foe. Stupefied by the shafts sped from Gandiva, the heroic son of Bhagadatta, letting off loose the steed, fled from Partha. 1 Once more entering his capital, that foremost of kings, irresistible in battle, cased himself in mail, and mounting on his prince of elephants, came out. That mighty car-warrior had a white umbrella held over his head, and was fanned with a milk-white yak-tail. Impelled by childishness and folly, he challenged Partha, the mighty car-warrior of the Pandavas, famed for terrible deeds in battle, to an encounter with him. The enraged prince then urged towards Arjuna that elephant of his, which resembled a veritable mountain, and from whose temples and mouth issued streams of juice indicative of excitement. Indeed, that elephant showered its secretions like a mighty mass of clouds pouring rain. Capable of resisting hostile feats of its own species, it had been equipped agreeably to the ordinances of the treatises (on war-elephants). Irresistible in battle, it had become so infuriate as to be beyond control. Urged on by the prince with the iron-hook, that mighty elephant then seemed (as it advanced) as if it would cut through the welkin (like a flying hill). Beholding it advance towards him, O king, Dhananjaya, filled with rage and standing on the earth, O Bharata, encountered the prince on its back. Filled with wrath, Vajradatta quickly sped at Arjuna a number of broad-headed shafts endued with the energy of fire and resembling (as they coursed through the air) a cloud of speedily-moving locusts. Arjuna, however, with shafts sped from Gandiva, cut off those arrows, some into two and some into three pieces. He cut them off in the welkin itself with those shafts of his coursing through the welkin. The son of Bhagadatta, beholding his broad-headed shafts thus cut off, quickly sped at Arjuna a number of other arrows in a continuous line. Filled with rage at this, Arjuna, more quickly than before, shot at Bhagadatta's son a number of straightly coursing arrows equipt with golden wings. Vajradatta of mighty energy, struck with great force and pierced with these arrows in that fierce encounter, fell down on the Earth. Consciousness, however, did not desert him. Mounting on his prince of elephants again in the midst of that battle the son of Bhagadatta, desirous of victory, very coolly sped a number of shafts at Arjuna. Filled with wrath, Jishnu then sped at the prince a number of arrows that looked like blazing

p. 130

flames of fire and that seemed to be so many snakes of virulent poison. Pierced therewith, the mighty elephant, emitting a large quantity of blood, looked like a mountain of many springs discharging rills of water coloured with red chalk.'"

Footnotes

129:1 The reading in every edition seems to be vicious. For obvious reasons, I read Parthadupadravat instead of Parthamupadravat.