ION XLVI

Vaisampayana said, "Making Uttara his charioteer, and circumambulating
the _Sami_ tree, the son of Pandu set out taking all his weapons with
him. And that mighty car-warrior set out with Uttara as the driver of
his car, having taken down that banner with the lion's figure and
deposited it at the foot of the _Sami_ tree. And he hoisted on that car
his own golden banner bearing the figure of an ape with a lion's tail,
which was a celestial illusion contrived by Viswakarman himself. For, as
soon, indeed, as he had thought of that gift of Agni, than the latter,
knowing his wish, ordered those superhuman creatures (that usually sat
there) to take their place in that banner. And furnished with a
beautiful flag of handsome make, with quivers attached to it, and
adorned with gold, that excellent flag-staff of celestial beauty then
quickly fell from the firmament on his car.[52] And beholding that
banner arrived on his car, the hero circumambulated it (respectively).
And then the ape-bannered Vibhatsu, the son of Kunti, called also
Swetavahana, with fingers cased in leathern fences of the _Iguana_ skin,
and taking up his bow and arrows set out in a northernly direction. And
that grinder of foes, possessed of great strength, then forcibly blew
his large conch-shell, of thundering sound, capable of making the
bristles of foes to stand on their ends. And at the sound of that conch,
those steeds endued with swiftness dropped down on the ground on their
knees. And Uttara also, greatly affrighted, sat down on the car. And
thereupon the son of Kunti took the reins himself and raising the
steeds, placed them in their proper positions. And embracing Uttara, he
encouraged him also, saying, 'Fear not, O foremost of princes, thou art,
O chastiser of foes, a _Kshatriya_ by birth. Why, O tiger among men,
dost thou become so dispirited in the midst of foes? Thou must have
heard before the blare of many conchs and the note of many trumpets, and
the roar also of many elephants in the midst of ranks arrayed for
battled. Why art thou, therefore, so dispirited and agitated and
terrified by the blare of this conch, as if thou wert an ordinary
person?'

[52] Some texts read _Maharatham_ (incorrectly) for
_hiranmayan_. Indeed, _Maharatham_ would give no meaning in this
connection. The incomplete edition of the Roy Press under the
auspices of the Principal of the Calcutta Sanskrit College
abounds with such incorrect read