(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When everyone had failed, Drona smilingly called
Arjuna and said unto him, "By thee the aim must be shot; therefore, turn
thy eyes to it. Thou must let fly the arrow as soon as I give the order.
Therefore, O son, stand here with bow and arrow for an instant." Thus
addressed, Arjuna stood aiming at the bird as desired by his preceptor,
with his bow bent. An instant after Drona asked him as in the case of
others, "Seest thou, O Arjuna, the bird there, the tree, and myself?"
Arjuna replied, "I see the bird only, but not the tree, or thyself." Then
the irrepressible Drona, well-pleased with Arjuna, the instant after,
again said unto that mighty car-warrior amongst the Pandavas, "If thou
seest the vulture, then describe it to me." Arjuna said, "I see only the
head of the vulture, not its body." At these words of Arjuna, the hair (on
Drona's body) stood on end from delight. He then said to Partha, "Shoot."
And the latter instantly let fly (his arrow) and with his sharp shaft
speedily struck off the head of the vulture on the tree and brought it
down to the ground. No sooner was the deed done than Drona clasped
Phalguna to his bosom and thought Drupada with his friends had already
been vanquished in fight.
"'Some time after, O bull of Bharata's race, Drona, accompanied by all of
his pupils, went to the bank of the Ganga to bathe in that sacred stream.
And when Drona had plunged into the stream, a strong alligator, sent as it
were, by Death himself seized him by the thigh. And though himself quite
capable, Drona in a seeming hurry asked his pupil to rescue him. And he
said, "O, kill this monster and rescue me." Contemporaneously with this
speech, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) struck the monster within the water with five
sharp arrows irresistible in their course, while the other pupils stood
confounded, each at his place. Beholding Arjuna's readiness, Drona
considered him to be the foremost of all his pupils, and became highly
pleased. The monster, in the meantime cut into pieces by the arrows of
Arjuna, released the thigh of illustrious Drona and gave up the ghost. The
son of Bharadwaja then addressed the illustrious and mighty car-warrior
Arjuna and said, "Accept, O thou of mighty arms, this very superior and
irresistible weapon called Brahmasira with the methods of hurling and
recalling it. Thou must not, however, ever use it against any human foe,
for if hurled at any foe endued with inferior energy, it might burn the
whole universe. It is said, O child, that this weapon hath not a peer in
the three worlds. Keep it, therefore, with great care, and listen to what
I say. If ever, O hero, any foe, not human, contendeth against thee thou
mayst then employ it against him for compassing his death in battle."
Pledging himself to do what he was bid, Vibhatsu then, with joined hands,
received that great weapon.
"'The preceptor then, addressing him again, said, "None else in this world
will ever become a superior bowman to thee. Vanquished thou shall never be
by any foe, and thy achievements will be great."'"