SECTION CLXX
"Bhishma said, 'I have now, O king, indicated who your Rathas are and who
thy Atirathas and half Rathas. Listen now to the tale of Rathas and
Atirathas among the Pandavas. If you feelest any curiosity, listen then,
O king, with these monarchs, to the tale of Rathas in the army of the
Pandavas. The king himself, son of Pandu and Kunti, is a mighty Ratha.
Without doubt, O sire, be will glide along the field of battle like a
blazing fire; Bhimasena, O king, is regarded equal to eight Rathas. In an
encounter with the mace or even with arrows, there is none equal to him.
Endued with the strength of ten thousand elephants, and filled with
pride, in energy he is superhuman. Those two bulls among men, the sons of
Madri, are both Rathas. In beauty, they are equal to the twin Aswinis,
and they are endued with great energy. Stationed at the head of their
divisions, all of them, remembering their great sufferings, without
doubt, wander along the field like so many Indras! All of them are endued
with high souls, and are tall in stature like the trunks of Sala trees.
Taller than other men by half-a-cubit in stature, all the sons of Pandu
are brave as lions and endued with great strength. All of them, O sire,
have practised Brahmacharya vows and other ascetic austerities. Endued
with modesty, those tigers among men are possessed of fierce strength
like the veritable tigers. In speed, in smiting, and in crushing (foes),
all of them are more than human. All of them, on the occasion of the
campaign of universal conquest, vanquished great kings, O bull of
Bharata's race! No other men can wield their weapons, maces, and shafts.
Indeed, O Kaurava, there are no men that can even string their bows, or
uplift their maces, or shoot their arrows in battle. In speed, in hitting
the aim, in eating, and in sports on the dust, they used to beat all of
you even when they were children. Possessed of fierce might they will,
when they encounter this force, exterminate it in battle. A collision,
therefore, with them is not desirable. Each of them can alone slay all
the kings of the earth! That which happened, O great king, on the
occasion of the Rajasuya sacrifice, had occurred before your very eyes!
Remembering the sufferings of Draupadi and the harsh speeches uttered
after their defeat at dice, they will wander in battle like so many
Rudras. As regards Gudakesha, of reddish eyes, having Narayana for his
ally, there is not among both the armies any brave car-warrior that can
be regarded as his equal. Let men alone, it hath not been heard by us
that even among gods, Asuras, Uragas, Rakshasas and Yakshas, there ever
was born before, or there ever will be born hereafter, any car-warrior
like unto him! O great king, intelligent Partha owneth that car which is
furnished with the banner bearing the device of the ape; the driver of
that car is Vasudeva! Dhananjaya himself is the warrior who fighteth from
it; his, again, is that celestial bow called Gandiva; he owneth again
those steeds fleet as the wind; his coat of mail is impenetrable and of
celestial make; his two large quivers are inexhaustible; his arms have
been obtained from the great Indra, Rudra, Kuvera, Yama and Varuna; and
upon his car, again, are those maces of frightful mien, and diverse other
great weapons having the thunderbolt amongst them! What car-warrior can
be regarded as his equal, who, stationed on a single car' slew in battle
a thousand Danavas, having their abode in Hiranyapura? Inflamed with
wrath, possessed of great might and prowess, incapable of being baffled,
that mighty-armed warrior, while protecting his own army, will certainly
exterminate your troops! Myself and preceptor (Drona) among the two
armies, and no third car-warrior, O great king, can advance against
Dhananjaya, that scatterer of arrowy showers! Pouring his shafts, like
the very clouds during the rainy season when propelled by mighty winds,
that son of Kunti when Vasudeva as his second, steppeth for battle! He is
skilful and young, while both of us are old and worn out!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Bhishma, and
recollecting with trembling heart, the well-known valour of the sons of
Pandu and thinking of it, as if it were present before their eyes, the
massive arms of kings, decked with bracelets and smeared with
sandal-paste, seemed to hang down divested of might.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 170 ---------------------
