SECTION CLXVI

Vaisampayana continued, “When Sakra had gone to his proper place, Vibhatsu together with his brothers and Krishna, paid homage unto the son of Dharma.  Then smelling the crown of the head of that Pandava, who was thus paying homage, (Yudhishthira) in accents faltering on account of you, addressed Arjuna, saying ’O Arjuna, how didst thou pass this period in heaven?  And how has thou obtained the weapons, and how also hast thou gratified the lord of the celestials?  And, O Pandava, has thou adequately secured the weapons?  Have the lord of the celestials and Rudra gladly granted thee the weapons?  And how hast thou beheld the divine Sakra, and the wielder of Pinaka?  And how has thou obtained the weapons?  And in what manner didst thou worship (them)?  And what service hadst thou done unto that repressor of foes, the worshipful one of a hundred sacrifices, that he said unto thee, “By thee have I been gratified?” All this, O highly effulgent one, I wish to hear in detail.  And, O sinless one, the manner in which thou didst please Mahadeva and the king of the celestials and, O repressor of foes, the service thou hadst done to the wielder of the thunder-bolt,—­do thou, O Dhananjaya, relate all this in detail.’

“Arjuna said, ’O mighty monarch, listen how I duly beheld him of a hundred sacrifice and the divine Sankara also.  O grinder of foes, O king, having acquired that science which thou hadst directed me (to learn), I at thy command went to the forest, for practising penances.  From Kamyaka repairing to the Bhrigutunga, I spent there one night, being engaged in austerities.  And it came to pass that on the next I saw a certain Brahmana.  And he asked me, saying, “O son of Kunti, whither wilt thou go?” Thereupon, O descendant of the Kurus, I truly related unto him everything.  And, O best of kings, having heard the true account, the Brahmana became well-pleased with me, and, O king, praised me.  Then the Brahmana, pleased with me, said, “O Bharata, be thou engaged in austerities.  By performing penances, thou wilt in a short time behold the lord of the celestials.”  And according to his advice I ascended the Himavan, and, O mighty king, began to practise penances, (the first) month subsisting on fruit and roots.  I spent the second month, subsisting on water.  And, O Pandava, in the third month I totally abstained from food.  And in the fourth month I remained with upraised arms.  And a wonder it is that I did not lose any strength.  And it came to pass that when the first day of the fifth month had been spent, there appeared before me a being wearing the form of a boar, turning up the earth with his mouth, stamping the ground with his feet, rubbing the earth with his breast, and momentarily going about in a frightful manner.  And him followed a great being in the guise of a hunter furnished with the bow, arrows,