who is called Sahadeva.  These winged arrows, thousand in number, sharp as razors and destructive as the poison of snakes, belong, O Virata’s son, to Arjuna.  When shooting them in battle against foes, these swift arrows blaze forth more brilliantly and become inexhaustible.  And these long and thick shafts resembling the lunar crescent in shape, keen-edged and capable of thinning the enemy’s ranks, belong to Bhima.  And this quiver bearing five images of tigers, full of yellowish shafts whetted on stone and furnished with golden wings belong to Nakula.  This is the quiver of the intelligent son of Madri, with which he had conquered in battle the whole of the western regions.  And these arrows, all effulgent as the sun, painted all over with various colours, and capable of destroying enemies by thousands are those of Sahadeva.  And these short and well-tempered and thick shafts, furnished with long feathers and golden heads, and consisting of three knots, belong to king Yudhishthira.  And this sword with blade long and carved with the image of a toad and head shaped as a toad’s mouth, strong and irresistible belongeth to Arjuna.  Cased in a sheath of tiger-skin, of long blade, handsome and irresistible, and terrible to adversaries, this sword belongeth to Bhimasena.  Of excellent blade and cased in a well-painted sheath, and furnished with a golden hilt, this handsome sword belongeth to the wise Kaurava—­Yudhishthira the just.  And this sword of strong blade, irresistible and intended for various excellent modes of fight and cased in a sheath of goat-skin, belongeth to Nakula.  And this huge scimitar, cased in a sheath of cow-skin, strong and irresistible belongeth to Sahadeva.’”

    [48] From the colour of his steeds.

    [49] Nilakantha spends much learning and ingenuity in making out
    that sixty-five years in this connection means thirty-two years
    of ordinary human computation.

SECTION XLIV

“Uttara said, ’Indeed, these weapons adorned with gold, belonging to the light-handed and high-souled Partha, look exceedingly beautiful.  But where are that Arjuna, the son of Pritha, and Yudhishthira of the Kuru race, and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and Bhimasena, the sons of Pandu?  Having lost their kingdom at dice, the high-souled Pandavas, capable of destroying all foes, are no longer heard of.  Where also is Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, famed as the gem among women, who followed the sons of Pandu after their defeat at dice to the forest?’

“Arjuna said, ’I am Arjuna, called also Partha.  Thy father’s courtier is Yudhishthira and thy father’s cook Vallava is Bhimasena, the groom of horses is Nakula, and Sahadeva is in the cow-pen.  And know thou that the Sairindhri is Draupadi, for whose sake the Kichakas have been slain.’

“Uttara said, ’I would believe all this if thou canst enumerate the ten names of Partha, previously heard by me!’