Vaisampayana said, "Having issued forth from the city, the dauntless son
of Virata addressed his charioteer, saying, 'Proceed whither the Kurus
are. Defeating the assembled Kurus who have come hither from desire of
victory, and quickly rescuing my kine from them, I will return to the
capital.' At these words of the prince, the son of Pandu urged those
excellent steeds. And endued with the speed of the wind and decked with
necklaces of gold, those steeds, urged by that lion among men, seemed to
fly through the air. And they had not proceeded far when those smiters
of foes, Dhananjaya and the son of Matsya, sighted the army of the
powerful Kurus. And proceeding towards the cemetery, they came upon the
Kurus and beheld their army arrayed in order of battle.[40] And that
large army of theirs looked like the vast sea or a forest of innumerable
trees moving through the sky. And then was seen, O best among the Kurus,
the dust raised by that moving army which reached the sky and obstructed
the sight of all creatures. And beholding that mighty host abounding in
elephants, horses and chariots, and protected by Karna and Duryodhana
and Kripa and Santanu's son, and that intelligent and great bowman
Drona, with his son (Aswatthaman), the son of Virata, agitated with fear
and the bristles on his body standing on their ends, thus spake unto
Partha, 'I dare not fight with the Kurus. See, the bristles on my body
have stood on their ends. I am incapable of battling with this countless
host of the Kurus, abounding in the heroic warriors, that are extremely
fierce and difficult of being vanquished even by the celestials. I do
not venture to penetrate into the army of the Bharatas consisting of
terrible bowmen and abounding in horses and elephants and cars and
footsoldiers and banners. My mind is too much perturbed by the very
sight of the foe on the field of battle on which stand Drona and
Bhishma, and Kripa, and Karna, and Vivingsati, and Aswatthaman and
Vikarna, and Saumadatti, and Vahlika, and the heroic king Duryodhana
also--that foremost of car-warriors, and many other splendid bowmen, all
skilled in battle. My hairs have stood on their ends, and I am fainting
with fear at the very sight of these smiters, the Kurus arrayed in order
of battle.'"
[40] This sloka is not correctly printed in any of the texts
that I have seen. The Burdwan Pandits read _tat-samim_. This I
think, is correct, but then _asasada_ in the singular when the
other verbs are all dual seems to be correct. The poet must have
used some other verb in the dual for _asasada_.
Vaisampayana continued, "And the low-minded and foolish Uttara out of
folly alone, began to bewail (his fate) in the presence of the
high-spirited (Arjuna) disguised (as his charioteer) in these words, 'My
father hath gone out to meet the Trigartas taking with him his whole
army, leaving me in the empty city. There are no troops to assist me.
Alone and a mere boy who has not undergone much exercise in arms, I am
unable to encounter these innumerable warriors and all skilled in
weapons. Do thou, therefore, O Vrihannala, cease to advance!'
"Vrihannala said, 'Why dost thou look so pale through fear and enhance
the joy of thy foes? As yet thou hast done nothing on the field of
battle with the enemy. It was thou that hadst ordered me, saying, _Take
me towards the Kauravas_. I will, therefore, take thee, thither where
those innumerable flags are. I will certainly take thee, O mighty-armed
one, into the midst of the hostile Kurus, prepared to fight as they are
for the kine like hawks for meat. I would do this, even if I regarded
them to have come hither for battling for a much higher stake such as
the sovereignty of the earth. Having, at the time of setting out, talked
before both men and women so highly of thy manliness, why wouldst thou
desist from the fight? If thou shouldst return home without recapturing
the kine, brave men and even women, when they meet together, will laugh
at thee (in derision). As regards myself, I cannot return to the city
without having rescued the kine, applauded as I have been so highly by
the _Sairindhri_ in respect of my skill in driving cars. It is for those
praises by the _Sairindhri_ and for those words of thine also (that I
have come). Why should I not, therefore, give battle to the Kurus? (As
regards thyself), be thou still.'
"Uttara said, 'Let the Kurus rob the Matsyas of all their wealth. Let
men and women, O Vrihannala, laugh at me. Let my kine perish, let the
city be a desert. Let me stand exposed before my father. Still there is
no need of battle.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Saying this, that much affrighted prince decked
in ear-ring jumped down from his car, and throwing down his bow and
arrows began to flee, sacrificing honour and pride. Vrihannala, however,
exclaimed, 'This is not the practice of the brave, this flight of a
Kshatriya from the field of battle. Even death in battle is better than
flight from fear.' Having said this, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti,
coming down from that excellent car ran after that prince thus running
away, his own long braid and pure red garments fluttering in the air.
And some soldiers, not knowing that it was Arjuna who was thus running
with his braid fluttering in the air, burst out into laughter at the
sight. And beholding him thus running, the Kurus began to argue, 'Who is
this person, thus disguised like fire concealed in ashes? He is partly a
man and partly a woman. Although bearing a neuter form, he yet
resembleth Arjuna. His are the same head and neck, and his the same arms
like unto a couple of maces. And this one's gait also is like unto his.
He can be none else than Dhananjaya. As _Indra_ is among the celestials,
so Dhananjaya is among men. Who else in this world than Dhananjaya,
would alone come against us? Virata left a single son of his in the
empty city. He hath come out from childishness and not from true
heroism. It is Uttara who must have come out of the city, having,
without doubt, made as a charioteer Arjuna, the son of Pritha, now
living in disguise. It seems that he is now flying away in panic at
sight of our army. And without doubt Dhananjaya runneth after him to
bring him back.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Beholding the disguised son of Pandu, the
Kauravas, O Bharata, began to indulge in these surmises, but they could
not come to any definite conclusion. Meanwhile, Dhananjaya, hastily
pursuing the retreating Uttara, seized him by the hair within a hundred
steps. And seized by Arjuna, the son of Virata began to lament most
woefully like one in great affliction, and said, 'Listen, O good
Vrihannala, O thou of handsome waist. Turn thou quickly the course of
the car. He that liveth meeteth with prosperity. I will give thee a
hundred coins of pure gold and eight _lapis lazuli_ of great brightness
set with gold, and one chariot furnished with a golden flag-staff and
drawn by excellent steeds, and also ten elephants of infuriate prowess.
Do thou, O Vrihannala, set me free.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed, that tiger among men laughingly
dragged Uttara who was almost deprived of his senses and who was
uttering these words of lamentation towards the car. And the son of
Pritha then addressed the affrighted prince who had nearly lost his
senses, saying, 'If, O chastiser of foes, thou dost not venture to fight
with enemy, come thou and hold the reins of the steeds as I fight with
the foe. Protected by the might of my arms, penetrate thou yon
formidable and invincible array of cars guarded by heroic and mighty
warriors. Fear not, O chastiser of foes, thou art a _Kshatriya_ and the
foremost of royal princes. Why dost thou, O tiger among men, succumb in
the midst of the foe? I shall surely fight with the Kurus and recover
the kine, penetrating into this formidable and inaccessible array of
cars. Be thou my charioteer, O best of men, I will fight with the
Kurus.' Thus speaking unto Uttara, the son of Virata, Vibhatsu,
heretofore unconquered in battle, for a while comforted him. And then
the son of Pritha, that foremost of smiters, raised on the car that
fainting and reluctant prince stricken with fear!"