region?’ Arjuna said, ’Depending on the
Gandiva and arrows blazing like fire, I live in this
great forest, like a second Pavaki. Thou hast
seen how this monster—this terrible Rakshasa—that
came hither in the form of an animal, hath been slain
by me.’ The Kirata replied, ’This
Rakshasa, first struck with the shot from my bow,
was killed and sent to the regions of Yama by me.
He was first aimed at by me. And it is with my
shot that he has been deprived of life. Proud
of thy strength, it behoveth thee not to impute thy
own fault to others. Thou art thyself in fault,
O wretch, and, therefore, shalt not escape from me
with life. Stay thou: I will shoot at thee
shafts like thunderbolts. Strive thou also and
shoot, to the best of thy power, thy arrows at me.’
Hearing these words of the Kirata, Arjuna became angry,
and attacked him with arrows. The Kirata, however,
with a glad heart received all those shafts upon himself,
repeatedly saying, ’Wretch, wretch, shoot thou
best arrows capable of piercing into the very vitals.’
Thus addressed, Arjuna, began to shower his arrows
on him. Both of them then became angry and, engaging
in fierce conflict, began to shoot at each other showers
of arrows, each resembling a snake of virulent poison.
And Arjuna rained a perfect shower of arrows on the
Kirata, Sankara, however, bore that downpour on him
with a cheerful heart. But the wielder of the
Pinaka, having borne that shower of arrows for a moment,
stood unwounded, immovable like a hill. Dhananjaya,
beholding his arrowy shower become futile, wondered
exceedingly, repeatedly saying, ’Excellent!
Excellent! Alas, this mountaineer of delicate
limbs, dwelling on the heights of the Himavat, beareth,
without wavering, the shafts shot from the Gandiva!
Who is he? Is he Rudra himself, or some other
god, or a Yaksha, or an Asura? The gods sometimes
do descend on the heights of the Himavat. Except
the god who wieldeth the Pinaka, there is none rise
that can bear the impetuosity of the thousands of
arrows shot by me from the Gandiva. Whether he
is a god or a Yaksha, in fact, anybody except Rudra,
I shall soon send him, with my shafts, to the regions
of Yama.’ Thus thinking, Arjuna, with a
cheerful heart, began, O king, to shoot arrows by
hundreds, resembling in splendour the rays of the sun.
That downpour of shafts, however, the illustrious
Creator of the worlds—the wielder of the
trident—bore with a glad heart, like a mountain
bearing a shower of rocks. Soon, however, the
arrows of Phalguna were exhausted. And noticing
this fact, Arjuna became greatly alarmed. And
the son of Pandu then began to think of the illustrious
god Agni who had before, during the burning of the
Khandava, given him a couple of inexhaustible quivers.
And he began to think, ’Alas, my arrows are
all exhausted. What shall I shoot now from my
bow? Who is this person that swalloweth my arrows?
Slaying him with the end of my bow, as elephants are
killed with lances, I shall send him to the domains