se steeds, fleet as the mind or the
wind, urged by my charioteer, soon bore me, O king, to that great
encounter. And arrived in the field of Kurukshetra, both myself and Rama,
eager for battle, became desirous of showing each other our prowess. And
arrived within view of the great ascetic Rama, I took up my excellent
conch and blew a loud blast. And many Brahmanas, O king, and many
ascetics having their abodes in the forest, as also the gods with Indra
at their head, were stationed there for beholding the great encounter.
And many celestial garlands and diverse kinds of celestial music and many
cloudy canopies could be noticed there. And all those ascetics who had
come with Rama, desiring to become spectators of the fight, stood all
around the field. Just at this juncture, O king, my divine mother devoted
to the good of all creatures, appeared before me in her own form and
said, 'What is this that thou seekest to do? Repairing to Jamadagni's
son, O son of Kuru's race, I will repeatedly solicit him saying,--"Do not
fight Bhishma who is thy disciple!"--O son, being a Kshatriya do not
obstinately set thy heart on an encounter in battle with Jamadagni's son
who is a Brahmana!' Indeed, it was thus that she reproved me. And she
also said, 'O son, Rama, equal in prowess unto Mahadeva himself, is the
exterminator of the Kshatriya order! It is not known to thee, that thou
desirest an encounter with him.' Thus addressed by her, I saluted the
goddess reverentially and replied unto her with joined hands, giving her,
O chief of the Bharatas, an account of all that had transpired in that
self-choice (of the daughter of Kasi). I also told her every thing, O
king of kings, about how I had urged Rama (to desist from the combat). I
also gave her a history of all the past acts of the (eldest) daughter of
Kasi. My mother then, the great River, wending to Rama, began, for my
sake, to beseech the Rishi of Bhrigu's race. And she said unto him these
words, viz.,--'Do not fight Bhishma who is thy disciple!'--Rama, however,
said unto her while she was beseeching him thus, 'Go and make Bhishma
desist! He doth not execute out my wish! It is for this that I have
challenged him!'"'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed by Rama, Ganga, from affection
for her son, came back to Bhishma. But Bhishma, with eyes rolling in
anger, refused to do her bidding. Just at this time, the mighty ascetic
Rama, that foremost one of Bhrigu's race, appeared in Bhish