his eyes on female beauty!  Today this disgrace of Santanu’s line shall sleep on the bare Earth, abandoning his life-breath, his prosperity, and his kingdom!  Today king Dhritarashtra also, hearing of the fall of his son, shall recollect all those evil acts that were born of Shakuni’s brain!” With these words, O tiger among kings, Vrikodara of great energy, armed with mace, stood for fight, like Shakra challenging the asura Vritra.  Beholding Duryodhana also standing with uplifted mace like mount Kailasa graced with its summit, Bhimasena, filled with wrath, once more addressed him, saying, “Recall to thy mind that evil act of thyself and king Dhritarashtra that occurred at Varanavata!  Remember Draupadi who was ill-treated, while in her season, in the midst of the assembly!  Remember the deprivation of the king through dice by thyself and Subala’s son!  Remember that great woe suffered by us, in consequence of thee, in the forest, as also in Virata’s city as if we had once more entered the womb!  I shall avenge myself of them all today!  By good luck, O thou of wicked soul, I see thee today!  It is for thy sake that that foremost of car-warriors, the son of Ganga, of great prowess, struck down by Yajnasena’s son, sleepeth on a bed of arrows!  Drona also hath been slain, and Karna, and Shalya of great prowess!  Subala’s son Shakuni, too, that root of these hostilities, hath been slain!  The wretched Pratikamin, who had seized Draupadi’s tresses, hath been slain!  All thy brave brothers also, who fought with great valour, have been slain!  These and many other kings have been slain through thy fault!  Thee too I shall slay today with my mace!  There is not the slightest doubt in this.”  While Vrikodara, O monarch, was uttering these words in a loud voice, thy fearless son of true prowess answered him, saying, “What use of such elaborate bragging?  Fight me, O Vrikodara!  O wretch of thy race, today I shall destroy thy desire of battle!  Mean vermin as thou art, know that Duryodhana is not capab le, like an ordinary person, of being terrified by a person like thee!  For a long time have I cherished this desire!  For a long time hath this wish been in my heart!  By good luck the gods have at last brought it about, a mace encounter with thee!  What use of long speeches and empty bragging, O wicked-souled one!  Accomplish these words of thine in acts.  Do not tarry at all!” Hearing these words of his, the Somakas and the other kings that were present there all applauded them highly.  Applauded by all, Duryodhana’s hair stood erect with joy and he firmly set his heart on battle.  The kings present once again cheered thy wrathful son with clapping, like persons exciting an infuriated elephant to an encounter.  The high-souled Vrikodara, the son of Pandu, then, uplifting his mace, rushed furiously at thy high-souled son.  The elephants present there trumpeted aloud and the steeds neighed repeatedly.  The weapons of the Pandavas who longed for victory blazed forth of their own accord.’”