"Arjuna continued, 'Remaining invisible the _Daityas_ began to fight
with the help of illusion. And I too fought with them, resorting to the
energy of visible weapons. And the shafts duly discharged from the
_Gandiva_, began to sever their heads at those different places where
they were respectively stationed. And thus assailed by me in the
conflict, the _Nivata-Kavachas_, all on a sudden withdrawing the
illusion, entered into their own city. And when the _Daityas_ had fled,
and when all had become visible, I there discovered hundreds and
thousands of the slain. And there I saw by hundreds their shivered
weapons, ornaments, limbs, and mail. And the horses could not find room
for moving from one place to another; and on a sudden with a bound, they
fell to coursing in the sky. Then remaining invisible, the
_Nivata-Kavachas_ covered the entire welkin with masses of crags. And, O
Bharata, other dreadful _Danavas_, entering into the entrails of the
earth, took up horses' legs and chariot-wheels. And as I was fighting,
they, hard besetting my horses with rocks, attacked me together with
(my) car. And with the crags that had fallen and with others that were
falling, the place where I was, seemed to be a mountain cavern. And on
myself being covered with crags and on the horses being hard pressed, I
became sore distressed and this was marked by Matali. And on seeing me
afraid, he said unto me, "O Arjuna, Arjuna! be thou not afraid; send
that weapon, the thunder-bolt, O lord of men." Hearing those words of
his, I then discharged the favourite weapon of the king of the
celestials--the dreadful thunderbolt. And inspiring the Gandiva with
_mantras_, I, aiming at the locality of the crags, shot sharpened iron
shafts of the touch of the thunder-bolt. And sent by the thunder, those
adamantine arrows entered into all those illusions and into the midst of
those _Nivata-Kavachas_. And slaughtered by the vehemence of the
thunder, those _Danavas_ resembling cliffs, fell to the earth together
in masses. And entering amongst those _Danavas_ that had carried away
the steeds of the car into the interior of the earth, the shafts sent
them into the mansion of _Yama_. And that quarter was completely covered
with the _Nivata-Kavachas_ that had been killed or baffled, comparable
unto cliffs and lying scattered like crags. And then no injury appeared
to have been sustained either by the horses, or by the car, or by
Matali, or by me, and this seemed strange. Then, O king, Matali
addressed me smiling, "Not in the celestials themselves, O Arjuna, is
seen the prowess that is seen in thee." And when the _Danava_ hosts had
been destroyed, all their females began to bewail in that city, like
unto cranes in autumn. Then with Matali I entered that city, terrifying
with the rattling of my car the wives of the _Nivata-Kavachas_.
Thereupon, seeing those ten thousand horses like unto peacocks (in hue),
and also that chariot resembling the sun, the women fled in swarms. And
like unto (the sounds of) rocks falling on a mountain, sounds arose of
the (falling) ornaments of the terrified dames. (At length), the
panic-stricken wives of the _Daityas_ entered into their respective
golden places variegated with innumerable jewels. Beholding that
excellent city, superior to the city of the celestials themselves, I
asked Matali, saying, "Why do not the celestials reside in such (a
place)? Surely, this appeareth superior to the city of Purandara."
Thereat, Matali said, "In days of yore, O Partha, even this was the city
of our lord of the celestials. Afterwards the celestials were driven
from hence by the _Nivata-Kavachas_. Having performed the most rigid
austerities, they had gratified the Grand-father and had asked (and
obtained) the boons--namely, that they might reside here, and that they
might be free from danger in wars with the gods." Then _Sakra_ addressed
the self-create lord saying, "Do thou, O lord, desirous of our own
welfare do what is proper." Thereupon, O Bharata, in this matter the
Lord commanded (Indra), saying, "O slayer of foes, in another body, even
thou shalt be (the destroyer of the _Danavas_)." Then, in order to
slaughter them, _Sakra_ rendered unto thee those weapons. The gods had
been unable to slay these, who have been slain by thee. O Bharata, in
the fullness of time, hadst thou come hither, in order to destroy them
and thou hast done so. O foremost of men, with the object that the
demons might be killed, Mahendra had conferred on thee the excellent
prime energy of these weapons.'
"Arjuna continued, 'After having destroyed the _Danavas_, and also
subdued that city, with Matali I again went to that abode of the
celestials.'"