Vaisampayana said, “Making Uttara his charioteer, and circumambulating the Sami tree, the son of Pandu set out taking all his weapons with him.  And that mighty car-warrior set out with Uttara as the driver of his car, having taken down that banner with the lion’s figure and deposited it at the foot of the Sami tree.  And he hoisted on that car his own golden banner bearing the figure of an ape with a lion’s tail, which was a celestial illusion contrived by Viswakarman himself.  For, as soon, indeed, as he had thought of that gift of Agni, than the latter, knowing his wish, ordered those superhuman creatures (that usually sat there) to take their place in that banner.  And furnished with a beautiful flag of handsome make, with quivers attached to it, and adorned with gold, that excellent flag-staff of celestial beauty then quickly fell from the firmament on his car.[52] And beholding that banner arrived on his car, the hero circumambulated it (respectively).  And then the ape-bannered Vibhatsu, the son of Kunti, called also Swetavahana, with fingers cased in leathern fences of the Iguana skin, and taking up his bow and arrows set out in a northernly direction.  And that grinder of foes, possessed of great strength, then forcibly blew his large conch-shell, of thundering sound, capable of making the bristles of foes to stand on their ends.  And at the sound of that conch, those steeds endued with swiftness dropped down on the ground on their knees.  And Uttara also, greatly affrighted, sat down on the car.  And thereupon the son of Kunti took the reins himself and raising the steeds, placed them in their proper positions.  And embracing Uttara, he encouraged him also, saying, ’Fear not, O foremost of princes, thou art, O chastiser of foes, a Kshatriya by birth.  Why, O tiger among men, dost thou become so dispirited in the midst of foes?  Thou must have heard before the blare of many conchs and the note of many trumpets, and the roar also of many elephants in the midst of ranks arrayed for battled.  Why art thou, therefore, so dispirited and agitated and terrified by the blare of this conch, as if thou wert an ordinary person?’

[52] Some texts read Maharatham (incorrectly) for hiranmayan.  Indeed, Maharatham would give no meaning in this connection.  The incomplete edition of the Roy Press under the auspices of the Principal of the Calcutta Sanskrit College abounds with such incorrect readings and misprints.

“Uttara said, ’Heard have I the blare of many a conch and many a trumpet and the roar of many an elephant stationed in the battle-array, but never have I heard before the blare of such conch.  Nor have I ever seen a banner like this.  Never before have I heard also the twang of a bow such as this.  Truly, sir, with the blare of this conch, the twang of this bow, the superhuman cries of the creatures stationed on this banner, and the battle of this car, my mind is greatly bewildered.  My perception of the directions also is confused, and my heart is painfully afflicted.  The whole firmament seemeth to me to have been covered by this banner, and everything seemeth to be hidden from my view!  My ears also have been deafened by the twang of the Gandiva!’[53]