(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then those foremost of car-warriors (Krishna and
Arjuna), riding in their cars and placing themselves on opposite sides of
that forest, began a great slaughter, on all sides, of the creatures
dwelling in Khandava. At whatever point any of the creatures residing in
Khandava could be seen attempting to escape, thither rushed those mighty
heroes (to prevent its flight). Indeed those two excellent cars seemed to
be but one, and the two warriors also therein but one individual. And
while the forest was burning, hundreds and thousands of living creatures,
uttering frightful yells, began to run about in all directions. Some had
particular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat, and some
came out, and some ran about from fear. And some clasping their children
and some their parents and brothers, died calmly without, from excess of
affection, being able to abandon those that were dear to them. And many
there were who biting their nether lips rose upwards and soon fell
whirling into the blazing element below. And some were seen to roll on the
ground with wings, eyes, and feet scorched and burnt. These creatures were
all seen to perish there almost soon enough. The tanks and ponds within
that forest, heated by the fire around, began to boil; the fishes and the
tortoises in them were all seen to perish. During that great slaughter of
living creatures in that forest, the burning bodies of various animals
looked as if fire itself had assumed many forms. The birds that took wings
to escape from that conflagration were pierced by Arjuna with his shafts,
and cut into pieces, they fell down into the burning element below.
Pierced all over with Arjuna's shafts, the birds dropped down into the
burning forest, uttering loud cries. The denizens of the forest, struck
with those shafts, began to roar and yell. The clamour they raised was
like unto the frightful uproar heard during the churning of the ocean (in
days of yore). The mighty flames of the blazing fire reaching the
firmament, caused great anxiety to the celestials themselves. Then all the
illustrious dwellers in heaven went in a body unto him of a hundred
sacrifices and thousand eyes, viz., their chief, that grinder of Asuras.
Approaching Indra, the celestials said, "Why, O lord of immortals, doth
Agni burn these creatures below? Hath the time come for the destruction of
the world?"'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the gods, and himself
beholding what Agni was doing, the slayer of Vritra set out for the
protection of the forest of Khandava. And Vasava, the chief of the
celestials soon covering the sky with masses of clouds of every kind began
to shower upon the burning forest. Those masses of clouds by hundreds and
thousands, commanded by Indra began to pour rain upon Khandava in showers
thick as the flag-staffs of battle-cars. But the showers were all dried up
in the sky itself by the heat of the fire and could not, therefore, reach
the fire at all! Then the slayer of Namuchi, getting angry with Agni,
collected huge masses of clouds and caused them to yield a heavy downpour.
Then with the flames contending with those heavy showers, and with masses
of clouds overhead, that forest, filled with smoke and flashes of
lightning, became terrible to behold.'"