Janamejaya said, “How long did my great grandsires, the highsouled sons
of Pandu of matchless prowess, dwell in the Gandhamadana mountain? And
what did those exceedingly powerful ones, gifted with manliness, do? And
what was the food of those high-souled ones, when those heroes of the
worlds dwelt (there)? O excellent one, do thou relate all about this. Do
thou describe the prowess of Bhimasena, and what that mighty-armed one
did in the mountain Himalayan. Surely, O best of Brahmanas, he did not
fight again with the Yakshas. And did they meet with Vaisravana? Surely,
as Arshtishena said, the lord of wealth cometh thither. All this, O thou
of ascetic wealth, I desire to hear in detail. Surely, I have not yet
been fully satisfied by hearing about their acts.”
Vaisampayana continued, “Having heard from that one of incomparable
energy, (Arshtishena), that advice conducive to their welfare, those
foremost of the Bharatas, began to behave always accordingly. Those best
of men, the Pandavas, dwelt upon the Himavan, partaking of the food eaten
by the Munis, and luscious fruit, and the flesh of deer killed with
unpoisoned shafts and various kinds of pure honey. Living thus, they
passed the fifth year, hearing to various stories told by Lomasa. O lord,
saying, ‘I shall be present when occasion ariseth,’ Ghatotkacha, together
with all the Rakshasas, had ere this already gone away. Those magnanimous
ones passed many months in the hermitage of Arshtishena, witnessing many
marvels. And as the Pandavas were sporting there pleasantly, there came
to see them some complacent vow-observing Munis and Charanas of high
fortune, and pure souls. And those foremost of the Bharata race conversed
with them on earthly topics. And it came to pass that when several days
has passed, Suparna all of a sudden carried off an exceedingly powerful
and mighty Naga, living in the large lake. And thereupon that mighty
mountain began to tremble, and the gigantic trees, break. And all the
creatures and the Pandavas witnessed the wonder. Then from the brow of
that excellent mountain, the wind brought before the Pandavas various
fragrant and fair blossoms. And the Pandavas, and the illustrious
Krishna, together with their friends, saw those unearthly blossoms of
five hues. And as the mighty-armed Bhimasena was seated at ease upon the
mountain, Krishna addressed him, saying, ‘O best of the Bharata race, in
the presence of all the creatures, these flowers of five hues, carried by
the force of the wind raised by Suparna, are falling in amain on the
river Aswaratha. In Khandava thy high-souled brother, firm in promise,
had baffled Gandharvas and Nagas and Vasava himself, and slain fierce
Rakshasas, and also obtained the bow Gandiva. Thou also art of exceeding
prowess and the might of thy arms is great, and irrepressible, and
unbearable like unto the might of Sakra. O Bhimasena, terrified with the
force of thy arms, let all the Rakshasas betake themselves to the ten
cardinal points, leaving the mountain. Then will thy friends be freed
from fear and affliction, and behold the auspicious summit of this
excellent mountain furnished with variegated flowers. O Bhima, I have for
long cherished this thought in my mind,--that protected by the might of
thy arms, I shall see that summit.’
“Thereupon, like a high-mettled bull that hath been struck, Bhimasena,
considering himself as censured by Draupadi, could not bear (that). And
that Pandava of the gait of a lion or a bull, and graceful, and generous,
and having the splendour of gold, and intelligent, and strong, and proud,
and sensitive, and heroic, and having red eyes, and broad shoulders, and
gifted with the strength of mad elephants, and having leonine teeth and a
broad neck, and tall like a young sala tree, and highsouled, and graceful
in every limb, and of neck having the whorls of a shell and mighty-armed,
took up his bow plaited at the back with gold, and also his sword. And
haughty like unto a lion, and resembling a maddened elephant, that strong
one rushed towards that cliff, free from fear or affliction. And all the
creatures saw him equipped with bows and arrows, approaching like a lion
or a maddened elephant. And free from fear or affliction, the Pandava
taking his mace, proceeded to that monarch of mountains causing the
delight of Draupadi. And neither exhaustion, nor fatigue, nor lassitude,
nor the malice (of others), affected that son of Pritha and the Wind-god.
And having arrived at a rugged path affording passage to one individual
only, that one of great strength ascended that terrible summit high as
several palmyra palms (placed one upon another). And having ascended that
summit, and thereby gladdened Kinnaras, and great Nagas, and Munis, and
Gandharvas, and Rakshasas, that foremost of the Bharata line, gifted with
exceeding strength described the abode of Vaisravana, adorned with golden
crystal palaces surrounded on all sides by golden walls having the
splendour of all gems, furnished with gardens all around, higher than a
mountain peak, beautiful with ramparts and towers, and adorned with
door-ways and gates and rows of pennons. And the abode was graced with
dallying damsels dancing around, and also with pennons waved by the
breeze. And with bent arms, supporting himself on the end of his bow, he
stood beholding with eagerness the city of the lord of treasures. And
gladdening all creatures, there was blowing a breeze, carrying all
perfumes, and of a balmy feel. And there were various beautiful and
wonderful trees of diverse hues resounding with diverse dulcet notes. And
at that place the foremost of the Bharatas surveyed the palace of the
Lord of the Rakshasas scattered with heaps of gems, and adorned with
variegated garlands. And renouncing all care of life the mighty-armed
Bhimasena stood motionless like a rock, with his mace and sword and bow
in his hands. Then he blew his shell making the down of his adversaries
stand erect; and twanging his bow-string, and striking his arms with the
hands he unnerved all the creatures. Thereat with their hairs standing
erect, the Yakshas and Rakshasas began to rush towards the Pandavas, in
the direction of those sounds. And taken by the arms of the Yakshas and
Rakshasas the flamed maces and clubs and swords and spears and javelins
and axes, and when, O Bharata, the fight ensued between the Rakshasas and
Bhima, the latter by arrows cut off the darts, javelins and axes of those
possessing great powers of illusion, and he of exceeding strength with
arrows pierced the bodies of the roaring Rakshasas, both of those that
were in the sky, and of those that remained on the earth. And Bhima of
exceeding strength was deluged with the mighty sanguine rain sprung from
the bodies of the Rakshasas with maces and clubs in their hands and
flowing on all sides from their persons. And the bodies and hands of the
Yakshas and Rakshasas were seen to be struck off by the weapon discharged
by the might of Bhima’s arms. And then all the creatures saw the graceful
Pandava densely surrounded by the Rakshasas, like unto the Sun enveloped
by clouds. And even as the Sun surrounds everything with his rays, that
mighty-armed and strong one of unfailing prowess, covered all with arrows
destroying foes. And although menacing and uttering yells, the Rakshasas
did not see Bhima embarrassed. Thereupon, with their bodies mangled, the
Yakshas afflicted by fear, Bhimasena began to utter frightful sounds of
distress, throwing their mighty weapons. And terrified at the wielder of
a strong bow, they fled towards the southern quarter, forsaking their
maces and spears and swords and clubs and axes. And then there stood,
holding in his hands darts and maces, the broad-chested and mighty-armed
friend of Vaisravana, the Rakshasa named Maniman. And that one of great
strength began to display his mastery and manliness. And seeing them
forsake the fight, he addressed them with a smile, ‘Going to Vaisravana’s
abode, how will ye say unto that lord of wealth, that numbers have been
defeated by a single mortal in battle?’ Having said this unto them that
Rakshasa, taking in his hands clubs and javelins and maces, set out and
rushed towards the Pandava. And he rushed in amain like a maddened
elephant. Bhimasena pierced his sides with three choice arrows. And the
mighty Maniman, on his part, in wrath taking and flourishing a tremendous
mace hurled it at Bhimasena. Thereupon Bhimasena beset with innumerable
shafts sharpened on stones, hurled that mighty mace in the sky, dreadful,
and like unto the lightning flash. But on reaching the mace those shafts
were baffled; and although discharged with force by that adept at hurling
the mace, still they could not stay its career. Then the mighty Bhima of
dreadful prowess, baffled his (the Rakshasa’s) discharge by resorting to
his skill in mace-fighting. In the meanwhile, the intelligent Rakshasa
had discharged a terrible iron club, furnished with a golden shaft. And
that club, belching forth flames and emitting tremendous roars, all of a
sudden pierced Bhima’s right arm and then fell to the ground. On being
severely wounded by that club, that bowman, Kunti’s son, of immeasurable
prowess, with eyes rolling in ire, took up his mace. And having taken
that iron mace, inlaid with golden plates, which caused the fear of foes
and brought on their defeat, he darted it with speed towards the mighty
Maniman, menacing (him) and uttering shouts. Then Maniman on his part,
taking his huge and blazing dart, with great force discharged it at
Bhima, uttering loud shouts. Thereat breaking the dart with the end of
his mace, that mighty-armed one skilled in mace-fighting, speedily rushed
to slay him, as Garuda (rushed) to slay a serpent. Then all of a sudden,
advancing ahead in the field, that mighty-armed one sprang into the sky
and brandishing his mace hurled it with shouts. And like unto the
thunder-bolt hurled by Indra, that mace like a pest, with the speed of
the wind destroyed the Rakshasa and then fell to the ground. Then all the
creatures saw that Rakshasa of terrible strength slaughtered by Bhima,
even like a bull slain by a lion. And the surviving Rakshasas seeing him
slain on the ground went towards the east, uttering frightful sounds of
distress.’”