to the east, the mighty-armed hero, purifying his body and
concentrating his soul, recalled to his mind all his weapons. And all
the weapons came, and addressing the royal son of Partha, said, 'We are
here, O illustrious one. We are thy servants, O son of Indra.' And
bowing unto them, Partha received them unto his hands and replied unto
them, saying, 'Dwell ye all in my memory.' And obtaining all his
weapons, the hero looked cheerful. And quickly stringing his bow, the
_Gandiva_, he twanged it. And the twang of that bow was as loud as the
collision of two mighty bulls. And dreadful was the sound that filled
the earth, and violent was the wind that blew on all sides. And thick
was the shower of fallen meteors[50] and all sides were enveloped in
gloom. And the birds began to totter in the skies and large trees began
to shake.[51] And loud as the burst of the thunder, the Kurus knew from
that sound that it was Arjuna that drew with his hands the string of his
best of bows from his car. And Uttara said, 'Thou, O best of Pandavas,
art alone. These mighty car-warriors are many. How wilt thou vanquish in
battle all these that are skilled in every kind of weapon? Thou, O son
of Kunti, art without a follower, while the Kauravas have many. It is
for this, O thou of mighty arms, that I stay beside thee, stricken with
fear.' Bursting out into loud laughter, Partha said unto him, 'Be not
afraid, O hero, what friendly follower had I while fighting with the
mighty _Gandharvas_ on the occasion of the _Ghoshayatra_? Who was my
ally while engaged in the terrific conflict at _Khandava_ against so
many celestials and _Danavas_? Who was my ally when I fought, on behalf
of the lord of the celestials against the mighty _Nivatakavachas_ and
the _Paulomas_! And who was my ally, O child, while I encountered in
battle innumerable kings at the _Swayamvara_ to the princess of
Panchala? Trained in arms by the preceptor Drona, by Sakra, and
Vaisravana, and Yama, and Varuna, and Agni, and Kripa, and Krishna of
Madhu's race, and by the wielder of the _Pinaka_ (Siva), why shall I not
fight with these? Drive thou my car speedily, and let thy heart's fever
be dispelled.'"

[50] Some texts read,--'One large meteor fell.'

[51] In some editions read,--_Bharata dwijam_, and _Maha-hardam_
for _maha-drumam_. The meaning would then be,--'The banners (of
the hostile army) began to tremble in the sky, and large lakes
were agitated.'

SECT