And the Pandavas, and the
illustrious Krishna, together with their friends, saw those unearthly
blossoms of five hues. And as the mighty-armed Bhimasena was seated at
ease upon the mountain, Krishna addressed him, saying, 'O best of the
Bharata race, in the presence of all the creatures, these flowers of
five hues, carried by the force of the wind raised by Suparna, are
falling in amain on the river Aswaratha. In Khandava thy high-souled
brother, firm in promise, had baffled Gandharvas and Nagas and Vasava
himself, and slain fierce Rakshasas, and also obtained the bow Gandiva.
Thou also art of exceeding prowess and the might of thy arms is great,
and irrepressible, and unbearable like unto the might of Sakra. O
Bhimasena, terrified with the force of thy arms, let all the Rakshasas
betake themselves to the ten cardinal points, leaving the mountain. Then
will thy friends be freed from fear and affliction, and behold the
auspicious summit of this excellent mountain furnished with variegated
flowers. O Bhima, I have for long cherished this thought in my
mind,--that protected by the might of thy arms, I shall see that
summit.'
"Thereupon, like a high-mettled bull that hath been struck, Bhimasena,
considering himself as censured by Draupadi, could not bear (that). And
that Pandava of the gait of a lion or a bull, and graceful, and
generous, and having the splendour of gold, and intelligent, and strong,
and proud, and sensitive, and heroic, and having red eyes, and broad
shoulders, and gifted with the strength of mad elephants, and having
leonine teeth and a broad neck, and tall like a young sala tree, and
highsouled, and graceful in every limb, and of neck having the whorls of
a shell and mighty-armed, took up his bow plaited at the back with gold,
and also his sword.
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