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.[191] 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 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.'"
