and addressing Bhimasena and Vijaya, said, ’That for the sake of which I accepted an exile into the woods and for which I suffered so much misery, that great calamity overtaketh us of a set purpose.  That for which we strove so much leaveth us as if on account of our very striving.  On the other hand, a great distress overtaketh us, although we did nothing to invite it.  How shall we fight with those reverend superiors (of ours) whom we on no account can slay?  What kind of victory shall we achieve by slaying our preceptors of venerable age?’

“Hearing these words of king Yudhishthira the Just, Savyasachin repeated to his elder brother all those words that Vasudeva had said.  And addressing Yudhishthira, Arjuna continued, ’Thou hast, O king, certainly understood all the words spoken by Kunti and Vidura, that were repeated to thee by Devaki’s son.  I know it for certain that neither Vidura nor Kunti would say anything that is sinful.  Besides this, O son of Kunti, we cannot withdraw without engaging in battle.’

“Hearing this speech of Savyasachin, Vasudeva also said unto Partha, ’It is even so (as thou hast said).  The sons of Pandu then, O great king, made up their minds for war, and passed that night with their soldiers in great happiness.’”

SECTION CLVI

“Vaisampayana said, ’After that night had passed away, king Duryodhana, O Bharata, distributed (in proper order) his eleven Akshauhinis of troops.  And arranging his men, elephants, cars, and steeds, into three classes, viz., superior, middling, and inferior, the king distributed them amongst his divisions (by placing them in the van, centre, and rear of the ranks).  And furnished with timber and planks for repairing the damages their cars might sustain in the press of battle, with large quivers borne on cars, with tiger-skins and other stiff leather for enveloping the sides of cars, with barbed javelins to be hurled by the hand, with quivers borne on the backs of steeds and elephants, with long-handled spears of iron and missiles, with quivers borne on the backs of foot-soldiers with heavy clubs of woods, with flagstaffs and banners, with long heavy shafts shot from bows, with diverse kinds of nooses and lassoes, with armour of various kinds, with short-pointed clubs of wood, with oil, treacle, and sand, with earthen pots filled with poisonous snakes, with pulverised lac and other inflammable matter, with short spears furnished with tinkling bells, with diverse weapons of iron, and machines, for hurling hot treacle, water, and stones, with whistling clubs of hard wood, with wax and heavy mallets, with clubs of wood having iron spikes, with plough-poles and poisoned darts, with long syringes for pouring warm treacle and planks of cane, with battle-axes and forked lances with spiked gauntlets, with axes and pointed iron-spikes, with cars having their sides covered with skins of tigers, and leopards,