Vaisampayana said, "Making Uttara his charioteer, and circumambulating
the _Sami_ tree, the son of Pandu set out taking all his weapons with
him. And that mighty car-warrior set out with Uttara as the driver of
his car, having taken down that banner with the lion's figure and
deposited it at the foot of the _Sami_ tree. And he hoisted on that car
his own golden banner bearing the figure of an ape with a lion's tail,
which was a celestial illusion contrived by Viswakarman himself. For, as
soon, indeed, as he had thought of that gift of Agni, than the latter,
knowing his wish, ordered those superhuman creatures (that usually sat
there) to take their place in that banner. And furnished with a
beautiful flag of handsome make, with quivers attached to it, and
adorned with gold, that excellent flag-staff of celestial beauty then
quickly fell from the firmament on his car.[52] And beholding that
banner arrived on his car, the hero circumambulated it (respectively).
And then the ape-bannered Vibhatsu, the son of Kunti, called also
Swetavahana, with fingers cased in leathern fences of the _Iguana_ skin,
and taking up his bow and arrows set out in a northernly direction. And
that grinder of foes, possessed of great strength, then forcibly blew
his large conch-shell, of thundering sound, capable of making the
bristles of foes to stand on their ends. And at the sound of that conch,
those steeds endued with swiftness dropped down on the ground on their
knees. And Uttara also, greatly affrighted, sat down on the car. And
thereupon the son of Kunti took the reins himself and raising the
steeds, placed them in their proper positions. And embracing Uttara, he
encouraged him also, saying, 'Fear not, O foremost of princes, thou art,
O chastiser of foes, a _Kshatriya_ by birth. Why, O tiger among men,
dost thou become so dispirited in the midst of foes? Thou must have
heard before the blare of many conchs and the note of many trumpets, and
the roar also of many elephants in the midst of ranks arrayed for
battled. Why art thou, therefore, so dispirited and agitated and
terrified by the blare of this conch, as if thou wert an ordinary
person?'
[52] Some texts read _Maharatham_ (incorrectly) for
_hiranmayan_. Indeed, _Maharatham_ would give no meaning in this
connection. The incomplete edition of the Roy Press under the
auspices of the Principal of the Calcutta Sanskrit College
abounds with such incorrect readings and misprints.
"Uttara said, 'Heard have I the blare of many a conch and many a trumpet
and the roar of many an elephant stationed in the battle-array, but
never have I heard before the blare of such conch. Nor have I ever seen
a banner like this. Never before have I heard also the twang of a bow
such as this. Truly, sir, with the blare of this conch, the twang of
this bow, the superhuman cries of the creatures stationed on this
banner, and the battle of this car, my mind is greatly bewildered. My
perception of the directions also is confused, and my heart is painfully
afflicted. The whole firmament seemeth to me to have been covered by
this banner, and everything seemeth to be hidden from my view! My ears
also have been deafened by the twang of the _Gandiva_!'[53]
[53] The Roy Press edition adds here a line which looks very
much like an interpolation.
"Arjuna said, 'Firmly stand thou on the car, pressing thy feet on it,
and tightly catch hold of the bridles, for I will blow the conch
again.'"
Vaisampayana said, "Arjuna then blew his conch again, that conch which
filled foes with grief and enhanced the joy of friends. And the sound
was so loud that it seemed to split hills and mountains, and pierce
mountain-caves and the cardinal points. And Uttara once again sat down
on the car, clinging to it in fear. And with the blare of the conch and
the rattle of the car-wheels, and the twang of the Gandiva, the earth
itself seemed to tremble. And beholding Uttara's fight, Dhananjaya began
to comfort him again.'
"Meanwhile, Drona said, 'From the rattle of the car, and from the manner
in which the clouds have enveloped the sky and the earth itself
trembles, this warrior can be none else than _Savyasachin_. Our weapons
do not shine, our steeds are dispirited, and our fires, though fed with
fuel, do not blare up. All this is ominous. All our animals are setting
up a frightful howl, gazing towards the sun. The crows are perching on
our banners. All this is ominous. Yon vultures and kites on our right
portend a great danger. That jackal also, running through our ranks,
waileth dismally. Lo, it hath escaped unstruck. All this portends a
heavy calamity. The bristles also of ye all are on their ends. Surely,
this forebodes a great destruction of Kshatriyas in battle. Things
endued with light are all pale; beasts and birds look fierce; and there
are to be witnessed many terrific portents indicative of the destruction
of Kshatriyas. And these omens forebode great havoc among ourselves. O
king, thy ranks seem to be confounded by these blazing meteors, and thy
animals look dispirited and seem to be weeping. Vultures and kites are
wheeling all around thy troops. Thou shalt have to repent upon beholding
thy army afflicted by Partha's arrows. Indeed, our ranks seem to have
been already vanquished, for none is eager to go to fight. All our
warriors are of pale face, and almost deprived of their senses. Sending
the kine ahead we should stand here, ready to strike, with all our
warriors arrayed in order of battle.'"