she may be of seeing such a sight!  Come, O Bhishma, and follow me, O proud wight, always longing for battle!  O thou of Kuru’s race, take with thee, O bull of Bharatas’ line, thy cars and all other equipments of battle!’ Hearing these words of Rama that subjugator of hostile towns, I worshipped him with a bend of my head and answered him, saying,—­So be it!  Having said all this, Rama then went to Kurukshetra from desire of combat, and I also, entering our city, represented everything unto Satyavati.  Then causing propitiatory ceremonies to be performed (for my victory), and being blessed also by my mother, and making the Brahmanas utter benedictions on me, I mounted on a handsome car made of silver and unto which, O thou of great glory, were yoked steeds white in hue.  And every part of that car was well-built, and it was exceedingly commodious and covered on all sides with tiger-skin.  And it was equipped with many great weapons and furnished with all necessaries.  And it was ridden by charioteer who was well-born and brave, who was versed in horse-lore, careful in battle, and well-trained in his art, and who had seen many encounters.  And I was accoutred in a coat of mail, white in hue, and had my bow in hand.  And the bow I took was also white in hue.  And thus equipped, I set out, O best of Bharata’s race!  And an umbrella, white in hue, was held over my head.  And, O king, I was fanned with fans that also were white in colour.  And clad in white, with also a white head-gear, all my adornments were white.  And eulogised (with laudatory hymns) by Brahmanas wishing me victory.  I issued out of the city named after the elephant, and proceeded to Kurukshetra, which, O bull of Bharata’s race, was to be the field of battle!  And those steeds, fleet as the mind or the wind, urged by my charioteer, soon bore me, O king, to that great encounter.  And arrived in the field of Kurukshetra, both myself and Rama, eager for battle, became desirous of showing each other our prowess.  And arrived within view of the great ascetic Rama, I took up my excellent conch and blew a loud blast.  And many Brahmanas, O king, and many ascetics having their abodes in the forest, as also the gods with Indra at their head, were stationed there for beholding the great encounter.  And many celestial garlands and diverse kinds of celestial music and many cloudy canopies could be noticed there.  And all those ascetics who had come with Rama, desiring to become spectators of the fight, stood all around the field.  Just at this juncture, O king, my divine mother devoted to the good of all creatures, appeared before me in her own form and said, ’What is this that thou seekest to do?  Repairing to Jamadagni’s son, O son of Kuru’s race, I will repeatedly solicit him saying,—­Do not fight Bhishma who is thy disciple!—­O son, being a Kshatriya do not obstinately set thy heart on an encounter in battle with Jamadagni’s son who is a Brahmana!’ Indeed, it was thus that she reproved me.  And