“Vaisampayana continued, ’Hearing these words of the intelligent king, Yudhishthira the Just, the lotus-eyed Krishna said, eyeing Dhananjaya, the white, O king, I fully approve of all those powerful warriors whom ye have named for becoming the leaders of thy troops.  All of them are competent to withstand thy foes.  Indeed, they can frighten Indra himself in great battle, let alone the covetous and wicked-minded sons of Dhritarashtra.  O thou of mighty arms, for thy good I made great efforts to prevent the battle by bringing about peace.  By that we have been freed from the debt we owed to virtue.  Fault-finding persons will not be able to reproach us for anything.  Foolish Duryodhana, destitute of understanding, regardeth himself as skilled in weapons, and though really weak thinketh himself to be possessed of strength.  Array thy troops soon, for slaughter is the only means by which they can be made to yield to our demands.  Indeed, the sons of Dhritarashtra will never be able to keep their ground when they will behold Dhananjaya with Yuyudhana as his second, and Abhimanyu, and the five sons of Draupadi, and Virata, and Drupada, and the other kings of fierce prowess,—­all lords of Akshauhinis.  Our army is possessed of great strength, and is invincible and incapable of being withstood.  Without doubt, it will slay the Dhartarashtra host.  As regards our leader, I would name that chastiser of foes, Dhrishtadyumna.’”

SECTION CLII

“Vaisampayana said, ’When Krishna had said this, all the monarchs there were filled with joy.  And the shout sent forth by those delighted kings was tremendous.  And the troops began to move about with great speed, saying, ‘Draw up, Draw up.’  And the neighing of steeds and roars of elephants and the clatter of car-wheels and the blare of conchs and the sound of drums, heard everywhere, produced a tremendous din.  And teeming with cars and foot-soldiers and steeds and elephants, that invincible host of the marching Pandavas moving hither and thither, donning their coats of mail, and uttering their war-cries, looked like the impetuous current of the Ganga when at its full, agitated with fierce eddies and waves.  And in the van of that host marched Bhimasena, and the two sons of Madri encased in their coats of mail, and Subhadra’s son and the five sons of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata’s race.  And the Prabhadrakas and the Panchalas marched behind Bhimasena.  And the din made by the marching hosts, filled with joy, was like unto the roars of the deep when the tide is highest on the day of the new moon.  Indeed, the tumult was such that it seemed to reach the very heavens.  And capable of breaking hostile ranks, those warriors cased in armour marched thus, filled with joy.  And Kunti’s son, king Yudhishthira, amongst them marched, taking with him the cars and other vehicles for transport, the food-stores and fodder, the tents, carriages, and draught-cattle, the