And the handsome god of gods was accompanied by Uma
in the guise of a Kirata woman, and also by a swarm
of merry spirits of various forms and attire, and
by thousands of women in the form and attire of Kiratas.
And, O king, that region suddenly blazed up in beauty,
in consequence of the arrival of the god of gods in
such company. And soon enough a solemn stillness
pervaded the place. The sounds of springs, and
water-courses, and of birds suddenly ceased. And
as the god of gods approached Pritha’s son of
blameless deeds, he beheld a wonderful sight, even
that of a Danava named Muka, seeking, in the form of
a boar, to slay Arjuna. Phalguna, at the sight
of the enemy seeking to slay him, took up the Gandiva
and a number of arrows resembling snakes of virulent
poison. And stringing his bow and filling the
air with its twang, he addressed the boar and said,
’I have come here but done thee no injury.
As thou seekest to slay me, I shall certainly send
thee to the abode of Yama.’ And beholding
that firm wielder of the bow—Phalguna—about
to slay the boar, Sankara in the guise of a Kirata
suddenly bade him stop saying, ’The boar like
the mountain of Indrakila in hue hath been
aimed at by me first’; Phalguna, however, disregarding
these words, struck the boar. The Kirata
also blazing splendour, let fly an arrow like flaming
fire and resembling the thunderbolt at the same object.
And the arrows thus shot by both fell at the same
instant of time upon the wide body of Muka, hard as
adamant. And the two shafts fell upon the boar
with a loud sound, even like that of Indra’s
thunderbolt and the thunder of the clouds falling together
upon the breast of a mountain. And Muka, thus
struck by two shafts which produced numerous arrows
resembling snakes of blazing mouths, yielded up his
life, assuming once more his terrible Rakshasa form.
Jishnu—that slayer of foes—then
beheld before him that person, of form blazing as
god, and attired in the dress of a Kirata and
accompanied by many women. And beholding him,
the son of Kunti with a joyous heart addressed him
smilingly and said, ’Who art thou that thus wanderest
in these solitary woods, surrounded by women? thou
of the splendour of gold, art thou not afraid of this
terrible forest? Why, again, didst thou shoot
the boar that was first aimed at by me? This Rakshasa
that came hither, listlessly or with the object of
slaying me, had been first aimed at by me. Thou
shalt not, therefore, escape from me with life.
Thy behaviour towards me is not consistent with the
customs of the chase. Therefore, O mountaineer,
I will take thy life.’ Thus addressed by
the son of Pandu, the Kirata, smiling, replied
unto his capable of wielding the bow with his left
hand, in soft words, saying, ’O hero, thou needst
not be anxious on my account. This forest land
is proper abode for us who always dwell in the woods.
Respecting thyself, however, I may inquire, why thou
hast selected thy abode here amid such difficulties.