Vaisampayana said, "O mighty king, entering into king Virata's service,
and dwelling in disguise in his excellent city, the high-souled Pandavas
of immeasurable prowess, completed the promised period of non-discovery.
And after Kichaka had been slain, that slayer of hostile heroes, the
mighty king Virata began to rest his hopes on the sons of Kunti. And it
was on the expiry of the thirteenth year of their exile, O Bharata, that
Susarman seized Virata's cattle by thousands. And when the cattle had
been seized, the herdsman of Virata came with great speed to the city,
and saw his sovereign, the king of Matsyas, seated on the throne in the
midst of wise councillors, and those bulls among men, the sons of Pandu,
and surrounded by brave warriors decked with ear-rings and bracelets.
And appearing before that enhancer of his dominion--King Virata seated
in court--the herdsman bowed down unto him, and addressed him, saying,
'O foremost of kings, defeating and humiliating us in battle along with
our friends the Trigartas are seizing thy cattle by hundreds and by
thousands. Do thou, therefore, speedily rescue them. Oh, see that they
are not lost to thee.' Hearing these words, the king arrayed for battle
the Matsya force abounding in cars and elephants and horses and infantry
and standards. And kings and princes speedily put on, each in its proper
place,[26] their shining and beautiful armour worthy of being worn by
heroes. And Virata's beloved brother, Satanika, put on a coat of mail
made of adamantine steel, adorned with burnished gold. And Madiraksha,
next in birth to Satanika, put on a strong coat of mail plated with
gold[27] and capable of resisting every weapon. And the coat of mail
that the king himself of the Matsyas put on was invulnerable and decked
with a hundred suns, a hundred circles, a hundred spots, and a hundred
eyes. And the coat of mail that Suryadatta[28] put on was bright as the
sun, plated with gold, and broad as a hundred lotuses of the fragrant
(_Kahlara_) species. And the coat of mail that Virata's eldest son, the
heroic Sanksha, put on was impenetrable and made of burnished steel, and
decked with a hundred eyes of gold. And it was thus that those god-like
and mighty warriors by hundreds, furnished with weapons, and eager for
battle, each donned his corselet. And then they yoked unto their
excellent cars of white-hue steeds equipped in mail. And then was
hoisted--Matsya's glorious standard on his excellent car decked with
gold and resembling the sun or the moon in its effulgence. And other
Kshatriya warriors also raised on their respective cars gold-decked
standards of various shapes and devices. And king Matsya then addressed
his brother Satanika born immediately after him, saying, 'Kanka and
Vallava and Tantripala and Damagranthi of great energy will, as it
appears to me fight, without doubt. Give thou unto them cars furnished
with banners and let them case their persons in beautiful coats of mail
that should be both invulnerable and easy to wear. And let them also
have weapons. Bearing such martial forms and possessed of arms
resembling the trunk of mighty elephants, I can never persuade myself
that they cannot fight.' Hearing these words of the king, Satanika, O
monarch, immediately ordered cars for those sons of Pritha, viz., the
royal Yudhishthira, and Bhima, and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and commanded
by the king, the charioteers, with cheerful hearts and keeping loyalty
in view, very soon got cars ready (for the Pandavas). And those
repressers of foes then donned those beautiful coats of mail,
invulnerable and easy to wear, that Virata had ordered for those heroes
of spotless fame. And mounted on cars yoked with good steeds, those
smiters of hostile ranks, those foremost of men, the sons of Pritha, set
out with cheerful hearts. Indeed, those mighty warriors skilled in
fight, those bulls of the Kuru race and sons of Pandu, those four heroic
brothers possessed of prowess incapable of being baffled, mounting on
cars decked with gold, together set out, following Virata's wake. And
infuriate elephants of terrible mien, full sixty years of age, with
shapely tusks and rent temples and juice trickling down and looking (on
that account) like cloud pouring rain and mounted by trained warriors
skilled in fight, followed the king like unto moving hills. And the
principal warriors of Matsya who cheerfully followed the king had eight
thousand cars, a thousand elephants and sixty thousand horses. And, O
bull among the Bharatas, that force of Virata, O king, as it marched
forth marking the footprints of the cattle looked exceedingly beautiful.
And on its march that foremost of armies owned by Virata, crowded with
soldiers armed with strong weapons, and abounding in elephants, horses
and cars, looked really splendid."
[26] _Bhagasas_ lit., each in its proper place. It may also
mean, 'according to their respective division.'
[27] _Kalyana-patalam_ is explained by Nilakantha to mean
_suvarna pattachchaditam_.
[28] One of the generals of Virata.