the presence of all the creatures, these flowers of
five hues, carried by the force of the wind raised
by Suparna, are falling in amain on the river Aswaratha.
In Khandava thy high-souled brother, firm in promise,
had baffled Gandharvas and Nagas and Vasava himself,
and slain fierce Rakshasas, and also obtained the bow
Gandiva. Thou also art of exceeding prowess and
the might of thy arms is great, and irrepressible,
and unbearable like unto the might of Sakra. O
Bhimasena, terrified with the force of thy arms, let
all the Rakshasas betake themselves to the ten cardinal
points, leaving the mountain. Then will thy friends
be freed from fear and affliction, and behold the
auspicious summit of this excellent mountain furnished
with variegated flowers. O Bhima, I have for
long cherished this thought in my mind,—that
protected by the might of thy arms, I shall see that
summit.’
“Thereupon, like a high-mettled bull that hath
been struck, Bhimasena, considering himself as censured
by Draupadi, could not bear (that). And that
Pandava of the gait of a lion or a bull, and graceful,
and generous, and having the splendour of gold, and
intelligent, and strong, and proud, and sensitive,
and heroic, and having red eyes, and broad shoulders,
and gifted with the strength of mad elephants, and
having leonine teeth and a broad neck, and tall like
a young sala tree, and highsouled, and graceful in
every limb, and of neck having the whorls of a shell
and mighty-armed, took up his bow plaited at the back
with gold, and also his sword. And haughty like
unto a lion, and resembling a maddened elephant, that
strong one rushed towards that cliff, free from fear
or affliction. And all the creatures saw him equipped
with bows and arrows, approaching like a lion or a
maddened elephant. And free from fear or affliction,
the Pandava taking his mace, proceeded to that monarch
of mountains causing the delight of Draupadi.
And neither exhaustion, nor fatigue, nor lassitude,
nor the malice (of others), affected that son of Pritha
and the Wind-god. And having arrived at a rugged
path affording passage to one individual only, that
one of great strength ascended that terrible summit
high as several palmyra palms (placed one upon another).
And having ascended that summit, and thereby gladdened
Kinnaras, and great Nagas, and Munis, and Gandharvas,
and Rakshasas, that foremost of the Bharata line,
gifted with exceeding strength described the abode
of Vaisravana, adorned with golden crystal palaces
surrounded on all sides by golden walls having the
splendour of all gems, furnished with gardens all
around, higher than a mountain peak, beautiful with
ramparts and towers, and adorned with door-ways and
gates and rows of pennons. And the abode was graced
with dallying damsels dancing around, and also with
pennons waved by the breeze. And with bent arms,
supporting himself on the end of his bow, he stood
beholding with eagerness the city of the lord of treasures.
And gladdening all creatures, there was blowing a
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