the gods, upon that large car, O king, which had nothing to compare with it.  And the illustrious Deity was adored, all the while by the attendants that always wait upon him, and by others that subsisted on meat, that were invincible in battle, and that danced in joy on the present occasion, running wildly on all sides and shouting at one another, Rishis also, of great good fortune, possessed of ascetic merit and endued with high qualities, as also the gods, wished for Mahadeva’s success.  When that boon-giving Lord, that dispeller of the fears of the three worlds, thus proceeded, the entire universe, all the gods, O best of men, became exceedingly gratified.  And the Rishis there adored the Lord of the gods with diverse hymns, and enhancing his energy, O king, took up their station there.  And millions upon millions of Gandharvas played upon diverse kinds of musical instruments at the hour of his setting out.  When the boon-giving Brahman, having ascended the car, set out for the Asuras, the Lord of the Universe, smiling the while, said, ’Excellent, Excellent!  Proceed, O god, to the spot where the Daityas are.  Urge the steeds wakefully.  Behold today the might of arms while I slay the foe in battle.’  Thus addressed, Brahman urged those steeds endued with the fleetness of the wind or thought towards that spot where the triple city, O king, stood, protected by the Daityas and the Danavas.  With those steeds worshipped by all the worlds, and which coursed with such speed that they seemed to devour the skies, the illustrious god quickly proceeded for the victory of the denizens of heaven.  Indeed, when Bhava, riding on the car, set out towards the triple city, his bull uttered tremendous roars, filling all the points of the compass.  Hearing that loud and terrible roar of the bull, many of the descendants and followers of Taraka, those enemies of the gods, breathed their last.  Others amongst them stood facing the foe for battle.  Then Sthanu, O king, armed with trident became deprived of his senses in wrath.  All creatures became frightened, and the three worlds began to tremble.  Frightful portents appeared when he was on the point of aiming that shaft.  In consequence, however, of the pressure caused by the weight of Soma, Agni, and Vishnu that were in that shaft, as also of the pressure caused by the weight of Brahman and Rudra and the latter’s bow, that car seemed to sink.  Then Narayana, issuing out of the point of that shaft, assumed the form of a bull and raised that large car.  During the time the car had sunk and the foe had began to roar, the illustrious Deity, endued with great might began, from rage, to utter loud shouts, standing, O giver of honours, on the head of his bull and the back of his steeds.  At that time the illustrious Rudra was employed in eyeing the Danava city.  While in that posture, O best of men, Rudra cut off the teats of the horses and clove the hoofs of the bull.  Blessed be thou, from the date the hoofs of all animals of the bovine species came to be cloven.