SECTION LXXVI
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus waged that battle, O chief of the Bharatas, for
three days between Arjuna and that prince like the encounter between him
of a hundred sacrifices and Vritra. On the fourth day, Vajradatta of
great might laughed loudly and, addressing Arjuna, said these words:
'Wait, wait, O Arjuna. Thou shalt not escape me with life. Slaying thee I
shall duly discharge the water-rite of my sire. My aged sire, Bhagadatta,
who was the friend of thy sire, was slain by thee in consequence of his
weight of years. Do thou, however, fight me that am but a boy!'[192]
Having said these words, O thou of Kuru's race, king Vajradatta, filled
with rage, urged his elephant towards the son of Pandu. Urged on by
Vajradatta of great intelligence, that prince of elephants, as if
desirous of cutting through the welkin, rushed towards Dhananjaya. That
prince of elephants drenched Arjuna with a shower of juice emitted from
the end of his trunk, like a mass of blue clouds drenching a hill with
its downpour. Indeed, urged on by the king, elephant, repeatedly roaring
like a cloud, rushed towards Phalguna, with that deep noise emitted from
its mouth. Verily, urged on by Vajradatta, that prince of elephants
quickly moved towards the mighty car-warrior of the Kurus, with the tread
of one that seemed to dance in excitement. Beholding that beast of
Vajradatta advance towards him, that slayer of foes, viz., the mighty
Dhananjaya, relying on Gandiva, stood his ground without shaking with
fear. Recollecting what an obstacle Vajradatta was proving to the
accomplishment of his task, and remembering the old enmity of the house
(of Pragjyotisha towards the Pandavas), the son of Pandu became
exceedingly inflamed with wrath against the king. Filled with rage,
Dhananjaya impeded the course of that beast with a shower of arrows like
the shore resisting the surging sea. That prince of elephants possessed
of beauty (of form), thus impeded by Arjuna, stopped in its course, with
body pierced with many an arrow, like a porcupine with its quills erect.
Seeing his elephant impeded in its course, the royal son of Bhagadatta,
deprived of sense by rage, shot many whetted arrows at Arjuna. The
mighty-armed Arjuna baffled all those arrows with many foe-slaying shafts
of his. The feat seemed to be exceedingly wonderful. Once more the king
of the Pragjyotishas, inflamed with ire, forcibly urged his elephant,
which resembled a mountain, at Arjuna. Beholding the beast once more
advancing towards him, Arjuna shot with great strength a shaft at it that
resembled a veritable flame of fire. Struck deeply in the very vitals, O
king, by the son of Pandu, the beast suddenly fell down on the Earth like
a mountain summit loosened by a thunder-bolt. Struck with Dhartanjaya's
shaft, the elephant, as it lay on the Earth, looked like a huge mountain
cliff lying on the ground, loosened by the bolt of Indra. When the
elephant of Vajradatta was prostrated on the ground, the son of Pandu,
addressing the king who had fallen down with his beast, said,--'Do not
fear. Indeed, Yudhishthira of mighty energy said unto me while
commissioning me for this task even these words,--'Thou shouldst not, O
Dhananjaya, slay those kings (who may encounter thee in battle). O tiger
among men, thou shouldst regard thy task as accomplished if only thou
disablest those hostile kings. Thou shouldst not also, O Dhananjaya, slay
the warriors of those kings who may come forth to fight thee, with all
their kinsmen and friends. They should be requested to come to the
horse-sacrifice of Yudhishthira.'--Having heard these commands of my
brother, I shall not slay thee, O king. Rise up; let no fear be thine;
return to thy city safe and sound, O lord of Earth. When the day of full
moon in the month of Chaitra comes, thou shalt, O great king, repair to
that sacrifice of king Yudhishthira the just, for it takes place on that
day. Thus addressed by Arjuna, the royal son of Bhagadatta, defeated by
the son of Pandu, said,--'So be it.'"
