Vaisampayana continued, “Hearing these words, the son of Pritha purified himself.  And approaching the lord of the universe with rapt attention, he said, ‘Instruct me!’ Mahadeva then imparted unto that best of Pandu’s son the knowledge of that weapon looking like the embodiment of Yama, together with all the mysteries about hurling and withdrawing it.  And that weapon thence began to wait upon Arjuna as it did upon Sankara, the lord of Uma.  And Arjuna also gladly accepted it.  And at the moment the whole earth, with its mountains and woods and trees and seas and forests and villages and towns and mines, trembled.  And the sounds of conchs and drums and trumpets by thousands began to be heard.  And at that moment hurricanes and whirlwinds began to blow.  And the gods and the Danavas beheld that terrible weapon in its embodied form stay by the side of Arjuna of immeasurable energy.  And whatever of evil there had been in the body of Phalguna of immeasurable energy was all dispelled by the touch of the three-eyed deity.  And the three eyed god then commanded Arjuna, saying, ‘Go thou into heaven.’  Arjuna then, O king, worshipping the god with bent head, gazed at him, with joined hands.  Then the lord of all the dwellers of heaven, the deity of blazing splendour having his abode on mountain-breasts, the husband of Uma, the god of passions under complete control, the source of all blessings, Bhava gave unto Arjuna, that foremost of men, the great bow called Gandiva, destructive of Danavas and Pisachas.  And the god of gods, then leaving that blessed mountain with snowy plateaus and vales and caves, favourite resort of sky-ranging great Rishis, went up, accompanied by Uma into the skies, in the sight of that foremost of men.”

SECTION XLI

Vaisampayana said, “The wielder of the Pinaka, having the bull for his sign, thus disappeared in the very sight of the gazing son of Pandu, like the sun setting in the sight of the world.  Arjuna, that slayer of hostile heroes, wondered much at this, saying, ’O, I have seen the great god of gods.  ’Fortunate, indeed I am, and much favoured, for I have both beheld and touched with my hand the three-eyed Hara the wielder of the Pinaka, in his boon-giving form.  I shall win success.  I am already great.  My enemies have already been vanquished by me.  My purposes have been already achieved.’  And while the son of Pritha, endued with immeasurable energy, was thinking thus, there came to that place Varuna the god of waters, handsome and of the splendour of the lapis lazuli accompanied by all kinds of aquatic creatures, and filling all the points of the horizon with a blazing effulgence.  And accompanied by Rivers both male and female, and Nagas, and Daityas and Sadhyas and inferior deities, Varuna, the controller and lord of all aquatic creatures, arrived at that spot.  There came also the lord Kuvera of body resembling pure gold, seated on his car of great splendour,