"Uttara said, 'To what warrior of fame doth this excellent bow belong,
on which are a hundred golden bosses and which hath such radiant ends?
Whose is this excellent bow of good sides and easy hold, on the staff of
which shine golden elephants of such brightness? Whose is this excellent
bow, adorned with three scores of _Indragopakas_[43] of pure gold,
placed on the back of the staff at proper intervals? Whose is this
excellent bow, furnished with three golden suns of great effulgence,
blazing forth with such brilliancy? Whose is this beautiful bow which is
variegated with gold and gems, and on which are golden insects set with
beautiful stones? Whose are these arrows furnished with wing around,
numbering a thousand, having golden heads, and cased in golden quivers?
Who owneth these large shafts, so thick, furnished with vulturine wings
whetted on stone, yellowish in hue, sharp-pointed, well-tempered, and
entirely made of iron? Whose is this sable quiver,[44] bearing five
images of tigers, which holdeth shafts intermined with boar-eared arrows
altogether numbering ten? Whose are these seven hundred arrows, long and
thick, capable of drinking (the enemy's) blood, and looking like the
crescent-shaped moon?[45] Whose are these gold-crested arrows whetted on
stones, the lower halves of which are well-furnished with wings of the
hue of parrots' feather and the upper halves, of well-tempered
steels?[46] Whose is this excellent sword irresistible, and terrible to
adversaries, with the mark of a toad on it, and pointed like a toad's
head?[47] Cased in variegated sheath of tiger-skin, whose is this large
sword of excellent blade and variegated with gold and furnished with
tinkling bells? Whose is this handsome scimitar of polished blade and
golden hilt? Manufactured in the country of the _Nishadas_,
irresistible, incapable of being broken, whose is this sword of polished
blade in a scabbard of cow-skin? Whose is this beautiful and long sword,
sable in hue as the sky, mounted with gold, well-tempered, and cased in
a sheath of goat-skin? Who owneth this heavy, well-tempered, and broad
sword, just longer than the breadth of thirty fingers, polished by
constant clash with other's weapons and kept in a case of gold, bright
as fire? Whose is this beautiful scimitar of sable blade covered with
golden bosses, capable of cutting through the bodies of adversaries,
whose touch is as fatal as that of a venomous snake which is
irresistible and exciteth the terror of foes? Asked by me, O Vrihannala,
do thou answer me truly. Great is my wonder at the sight of all these
excellent objects.'"
[43] Indian insects of a particular kind.
[44] Most editions read _chapas_ which is evidently wrong. The
correct reading is _avapas_, meaning quiver. The Burdwan Pandits
give this latter reading.
[45] Some read _chandrargha-darsanas_. The correct reading is
_chandrardha-darsanas_.
[46] Most editions read _hema-punkha_ and _silasita_ in the
instrumental plural; the correct reading is their nominative
plural forms.
[47] _Sayaka_ means here, as explained by Nilakantha, a sword,
and not a shaft.