one assumed another and unearthly form (clad in) wonderful raiment.  And renouncing the form of a hunter, that divine lord of the gods, resumed his own unearthly appearance and that mighty god stood (there).  Then appeared before me with Uma that manifest divine one, having the bull for his mark, wielding the Pinaka, bearing serpents and cable of assuming many forms.  And, O repressor of foes, advancing towards me, standing even then in the field ready for conflict, that wielder of the trident addressed me saying, “I am well-pleased with thee.”  Then that divine one held up my bows and the couple of quivers furnished with inexhaustible shafts and returned them unto me saying, “Do thou ask some boon, O Kunti’s son.  I am well-pleased with thee.  Tell me, what I shall do for thee.  And, O hero, express the desire that dwelleth in thy heart.  I will grant it.  Except immortality alone, tell me as to the desire that is in thy heart.”  Thereat with my mind intent on the acquisition of arms, I only bowed down unto Siva and said, “O divine one, if thou beest favourably disposed towards me, then I wish to have this boon,—­I wish to learn all the weapons that are with thy god-head.”  Then the god Tryamvaka said unto me, “I will give.  O Pandava, my own weapon Raudra shall attend upon thee.”  Thereupon Mahadeva, well-pleased, granted to me the mighty weapon, Pasupata.  And, having granted that eternal weapon, he also said unto me, “This must never be hurled at mortals.  If discharged at any person of small energy, it would consume the universe.  Shouldst thou (at any time) be hard pressed, thou mayst discharge it.  And when all thy weapons have been completely baffled, thou mayst hurl it.”  Then when he having the bull for his mark, had been thus gratified, there stood manifest by my side that celestial weapon, of resistless force capable of baffling all weapons and destructive of foes and the hewer of hostile forces and unrivalled and difficult to be borne even by the celestials, the demons and the Rakshasas.  Then at the command of that god, I sat me down there.  And in my very sight the god vanished from the spot.’”

SECTION CLXVII

“Arjuna said, ’O Bharata, by the grace of that god of gods the Supreme Soul, Tryamvaka, I passed the night at that place.  And having passed the night, when I had finished the morning rituals, I saw that foremost of the Brahmanas whom I had seen before.  And unto him I told all as it had happened, O Bharata, namely, that I had met the divine Mahadeva.  Thereupon, O king of kings, well-pleased, he said unto me, “Since thou hast beheld the great god, incapable of being beheld by any one else, soon wilt thou mix with Vaivaswata and the other Lokapalas and the lord of the celestials; and Indra too will grant thee weapons.”  O king, having said this unto me and having embraced me again and again, that Brahmana resembling