SECTION LIII
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the Kauravas, O Bharata, had taken their stand
in this order, Arjuna, filling the air with the rattle and din of his
car, advanced quickly towards them. And the Kurus beheld his banner-top
and heard the rattle and din of his car as also the twang of the Gandiva
stretched repeatedly by him. And noting all this, and seeing that great
car-warrior--the wielder of the Gandiva--come, Drona spoke thus, 'That is
the banner-top of Partha which shineth at a distance, and this is the
noise of his car, and that is the ape that roareth frightfully. Indeed,
the ape striketh terror in the troops. And there stationed on that
excellent car, the foremost of car-warriors draweth that best of bows,
the Gandiva, whose twang is as loud as the thunder. Behold, these two
shafts coming together fall at my feet, and two others pass off barely
touching my ears. Completing the period of exile and having achieved many
wonderful feats, Partha saluteth me and whispereth in my ears. Endued
with wisdom and beloved of his relatives, this Dhananjaya, the son of
Pandu, is, indeed, beheld by us after a long time, blazing with beauty
and grace. Possessed of car and arrows, furnished with handsome fences
and quiver and conch and banner and coat of mail, decked with diadem and
scimitar and bow, the son of Pritha shineth like the blazing (Homa) fire
surrounded with sacrificial ladles and fed with sacrificial butter.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Beholding the Kurus ready for battle, Arjuna
addressing Matsya's son in words suitable to the occasion, said, 'O
charioteer, restrain you the steeds at such a point whence my arrows may
reach the enemy. Meanwhile, let me see, where, in the midst of this army,
is that vile wretch of the Kuru race. Disregarding all these, and
singling out that vainest of princes I will fall upon his head, for upon
the defeat of that wretch the others will regard themselves as defeated.
There standeth Drona, and thereafter him his son. And there are those
great bowmen--Bhishma and Kripa and Kama. I do not see, however, the king
there. I suspect that anxious to save his life, he retreateth by the
southern road, taking away with him the kine. Leaving this array of
car-warriors, proceed to the spot where Suyodhana is. There will I fight,
O son of Virata, for there the battle will not be fruitless, Defeating
him I will come back, taking away the kine.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed, the son of Virata restrained
the steeds with an effort and turned them by a pull at the bridle from
the spot where those bulls of the Kuru race were, and urged them on
towards the place where Duryodhana was. And as Arjuna went away leaving
that thick array of cars, Kripa, guessing his intention, addressed his
own comrades, saying, 'This Vibhatsu desireth not to take up his stand at
a spot remote from the king. Let us quickly fall upon the flanks of the
advancing hero. When inflamed with wrath, none else, unassisted, can
encounter him in battle save the deity of a thousand eyes, or Krishna the
son of Devaki. Of what use to us would the kine be or this vast wealth
also, if Duryodhana were to sink, like a boat, in the ocean of Partha?'
Meanwhile, Vibhatsu, having proceeded towards that division of the army,
announced himself speedily by name, and covered the troops with his
arrows thick as locusts. And covered with those countless shafts shot by
Partha, the hostile warriors could not see anything, the earth itself and
the sky becoming overwhelmed therewith. And the soldiers who had been
ready for the fight were so confounded that none could even the flee from
the field. And beholding the light-handedness of Partha they all
applauded it mentally. And Arjuna then blew his conch which always made
the bristles of the foe stand erect. And twanging his best of bows, he
urged the creatures on his flagstaff to roar more frightfully. And at the
blare of his conch and the rattle of his car-wheels, and the twang of the
Gandiva, and the roar of the superhuman creatures stationed on his
flagstaff, the earth itself began to tremble. And shaking their upraised
tails and lowing together, the kine turned back, proceeding along the
southern road.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 4 : UPA-PARVA 53 ---------------------
