began, O monarch, to go about, being urged by destiny.
Then ascending to the sky, Matali, as if falling in
front, swiftly descended to the earth, on that chariot
of solar resplendence. Then, O Bharata, environed
me sixty thousand cars belonging to those wrathful
ones eager to battle with me. And with sharpened
shafts graced with feathers of the vulture, I destroyed
those (cars). At this, thinking, “These
our hosts are incapable of being vanquished by mortals,”
they became engaged in the conflict, like unto the
surges of the sea. Thereupon I gradually began
to fix (on the string) unearthly weapons. At
this, thousands of weapons (shot) by those wonderfully
warring charioteers, by degrees opposed my unearthly
arms and in the field I saw hundreds and thousands
of mighty (demons) ranging on their cars, in various
manoeuvres. And being furnished with variegated
mail and standards and diverse ornaments, they delighted
my mind. And in the conflict I could not afflict
them by showers of shafts, but they did not afflict
me. And being afflicted by those innumerable ones,
equipped in weapons and skilled in fight, I was pained
in that mighty encounter and a terrible fear seized
me. Thereupon collecting (my energies) in fight,
I (bowed down) unto that god of gods, Raudra,
and saying, “May welfare attend on all beings!”
I fixed that mighty weapon which, celebrated under
the name of Raudra, is the destroyer of all
foes. Then I beheld a male person having three
heads, nine eyes, three faces, and six arms.
And his hair was flaming like fire or the sun.
And, O slayer of foes, for his dress, he had mighty
serpents, putting out their tongues. And saying,
O best of the Bharatas, the dreadful and eternal Raudra,
I being free from fear, set it on the Gandiva;
and, bowing unto the three-eyed Sarva of immeasurable
energy, let go (the weapon), with the object of vanquishing
those foremost of the Danavas, O Bharata.
And, O lord of men, as soon as it had been hurled,
there appeared on the scene by thousands, forms of
deer, and of lions, and of tigers, and of bears and
of buffaloes, and of serpents, and of kine, and of
sarabhas, and of elephants, and of apes in multitudes,
and of bulls, and of boars, and of cats, and of dogs,
and of spectres, and of all the Bhurundas, and
of vultures, and of Garudas, of chumaras, and
of all the leopards, and of mountains, and of seas,
and of celestials, and of sages, and of all the Gandharvas,
and of ghosts with the Yakshas, and of the haters
of the gods, (Asuras), and of the Guhyakas
in the field, and of the Nairitas and of elephant-mouthed
sharks, and of owls, and of beings having the forms
of fishes and horses, and of beings bearing swords
and various other weapons, and of Rakshasas
wielding maces and clubs. And on that weapon
being hurled all the universe became filled with these
as well as many others wearing various shapes.