The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 137

Section CXXXVII. ( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana continued, "And upon the Kuru king and Bhima the foremost of all endued with strength, having entered. the arena, the spectators were divided into two parties, in consequence of their partiality swaying their affections. And some cried 'Behold the heroic king of the Kurus!' And some, 'Behold Bhima!' And on account of these cries there was all of a sudden a loud uproar. And seeing the place became like a troubled ocean, the intelligent Bharadwaja said unto his dear son Aswathama, 'Restrain thou both these mighty warriors so proficient in arms! Let not the ire of the assembly be provoked by this combat of Bhima and Duryo-dhana.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "And the son of the preceptor of the princes then restrained those combatants with uplifted maces and who resembled two swollen oceans agitated by the winds that blow at the universal dissolution. And Drona himself entering the yard of the arena commanded the musicians to stop and with a voice deep as that of the clouds addressed these words: 'Behold ye now that Partha who is dearer to me than my own son, the master of all arms, the son of Indra himself, and like unto the younger brother of Indra (Vishnu)! And having performed the propitiatory rites, the youth Falguna, furnished with the finger-ptotector and his quiver full of shafts and bow in hand, doning on his golden mail, appeared in the lists even like an evening cloud reflecting the rays of the setting sun, and illumined by the hues of the rainbow and flashes of lightning.

"And on seeing Arjuna the whole assembly were delighted, and conches began to be blown all around with other musical instruments. And there arose a great uproar in consequence of the spectators exclaiming, 'This is the graceful son of Kunti!—'This is the middle (third) Pandava!'—'This is the son of the mighty Indra!'—'This is the protector of the Kurus!—'This is the foremost of those versed in arms!'—'This is the foremost of all cherishers of virtue!'—'This is the foremost of all well-conducted persons, the great repository of the knowledge of manners!' At those exclamations, the tears of Kunti, mixing with the milk of her breast, drenched her bosom. And having his ears filled with that uproar, that first of men, Dhrita-rashtra, asked Vidura with delight, 'O Kshatta, what is this great uproar, like unto that of the troubled deep, arising all of a sudden, and rending the very heavens? Vidura replied 'O mighty monarch, the son of Panda and Pritha, Falguna, clad in mail hath entered the lists. And hence this uproar!' Dhrita-rashtra said, 'O thou of soul so great, by the three fires sprung from Pritha who is even like the sacred fuel, I have, indeed, been blessed, favored and protected!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "And when the spectators excited with delight, had somewhat regained their equanimity, Vivatshu began to display before his preceptor his lightness in the use of weapons. By the Agneya weapon he created fire, and by the Varuna weapon, he created water. And by the Vayavya weapon, he created air, and by the Paryanya weapon, he created clouds. And by the Bhauma weapon, he created land, and by the Parvatya weapon mountains came into being. And by the Antar-dhana weapon these all were made to disappear. Now the beloved of his preceptor (Arjuna) appeared tall, and now short; now he was seen on the yoke of his car, and now on the car itself; and the next, moment he was on the ground. And the hero favored by his practised dexterity, hit by his arrows various butts, some tender, some fine, and some of thick composition. And like one shaft, he let fly at one time into the mouth of a moving iron boar five shafts together from his bow-string. And that hero of mighty energy discharged one and twenty arrows into the hollow of a cow's horn hung up on a rope and swaying to and fro. In this manner, O sinless one, Arjuna showed his profound skill in the use of the sword, the bow, and the mace, walking over the lists in circles.

"And, O Bharata, when the exhibition had well nigh ended, the excitement of the spectators cooled, and the sound of the musical instruments been suspended, there was heard proceeding from the gate, the slapping of arms, betokening might and strength, and even like unto the roar of thunder. And, O king, as soon as this sound was heard, the assembled multitude instantly thought, 'Are the mountains splitting, or is the Earth itself rending asunder, or is the welkin resounding with the roar of gathering clouds?' And then all the spectators turned their eyes towards the entrance. And Drona stood surrounded by the five brothers—the sons of Pritha, and seemed like the moon in conjunction with the five-starred constellation Hastā. And Duryodhana, that slayer of foes, stood up in haste and was surrounded by his century of haughty brothers with Aswathama amongst them. And that prince, mace in hand, thus surrounded by his hundred brothers with uplifted weapons, appeared like Purandara in days of yore, encircled by the celestial host on the occasion of the battle with the Danavas."

Thus ends the hundred and thirty-seventh Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.