“’Duryodhana continued, “The celestials then, addressing the god of gods, said ‘So be it’ O best of kings.  Taking half of their energies from all of them, he became superior in might.  Indeed, in might that god became superior to all in the universe.  From that time Sankara came to be called Mahadeva.  And Mahadeva then said, ’Armed with bow and shaft, I will, from my car, slay in battle those foes of yours, ye denizens of heaven.  Therefore, ye gods, see now to my car and bow and shaft so that I may, this very day, throw the Asuras down on the Earth.’

“’"The gods said, ’Gathering all forms that may be found in the three worlds and taking portions of each, we will each, O Lord of the gods, construct a car of great energy for thee.  It will be a large car, the handiwork of Viswakarman, designed with intelligence.’  Saying this, those tigers among the gods began the construction of that car.  And they made Vishnu and Soma and Hutasana the arrow for Sankara’s use.  Agni became the staff, and Soma became the head, and Vishnu the point, O king, of that foremost of arrows.  The goddess Earth, with her large cities and towns, her mountains and forests and islands, that home of diverse creatures, was made the car.  The Mandara mountain was made its axle; and the great river Ganga was made its Jangha; and the points of the compass, cardinal and subsidiary became the ornaments of the car.  The constellations became its shaft; the Krita age became its yoke; and that best of Snakes, viz., Vasuki, became the Kuvara of that car.  Himavat and Vindhya mountains became its Apaskara and Adhishthana; and the Udaya and the Asta mountains were made the wheels of that car by those foremost ones among the gods.  They made the excellent Ocean, that abode of the Danavas its other axle.  The seven Rishis became the protectors of the wheels of that car.  Ganga and Sarasvati and Sindhu and the Sky became its Dhura; all the other rivers and all the waters became the chords for binding the several limbs of that car.  Day and Night and the other divisions of time such as Kalas and Kasthas, and the Seasons became its Amukarsha.  The blazing planets and the stars became its wooden fence; Religion, Profit, and Pleasure, united together, became its Trivenu.  The herbs and the creepers, decked with flowers and fruits, became its bells.  Making the Sun and the Moon equal, these were made the (other two) wheels of that foremost of cars.  Day and Night were made its auspicious wings on the right and left.  The ten foremost of snakes having Dhritarashtra for their first, all exceedingly strong, formed the (other) shaft of that car.  The Sky was made its (other) yoke, and the clouds called Samvartaka and Valahaka were the leathern strings of the yoke.  The two Twilights and Dhritri and Medha and Sthiti and Sannati, and the firmament bespangled with planets and stars, were made the skins for covering that car.  Those Regents of the world, viz., the Lords of the