artas, O monarch, with his brothers, said these words: "We, O king,
are always humiliated by the wielder of Gandiva! O bull of Bharata's
race, although we have done him no injury, yet he hath always injured us.
Remembering all those diverse instances of humiliation, we burn in wrath
and are never able to sleep at night. By good luck, that Arjuna, armed
with weapons, will stand before us. That therefore, which is in our heart
and which we strive to accomplish, we are resolved to achieve now, that
viz., which will be agreeable to thee, and which will bring us renown.
Taking him out of the field will slay him. Let the earth today be without
Arjuna or let it be without the Trigartas. We truly swear this before
thee. This our vow will never be false." And Satyaratha and Satyavarman,
O Bharata, and Satyavrata and Satyeshu, and Satyakarman also, having
spoken similarly, those five brothers together, with ten thousand cars,
came, O king, (before Duryodhana), having taken that oath on the field of
battle. And the Malavas, and the Tundikeras with thousand cars, and the
tiger among men, Susarman, the ruler of Prasthala, with the Mavellakas,
the Lalithas, and the Madrakas, accompanied by ten thousand cars and his
brothers, and with another ten thousand cars from diverse realms came
forward for taking the oath. Then bringing fire, and each making
preparations for igniting one for himself, they took up ropes Kusa grass
and beautiful coats of mail. And equipped in mail, bathed in clarified
butter, clad in robes of Kusa grass, and with their bow-strings serving
as girdles, those heroes, who had given away hundreds and thousands as
presents to Brahmanas, who had performed many sacrifices, had been
blessed with children, and were deserving of blessed regions hereafter,
who had nothing more to do in this world, who were deserving of blessed
regions hereafter, who were prepared to lay down their lives in battle,
and who devoted their souls to the attainment of fame and victory, who
were desirous of soon repairing by fair fight to those regions
(hereafter) that are attainable by means only of sacrifices, with
abundant presents to Brahmanas, and by means also of the rites, the chief
amongst which are Brahmacharya and study of the Vedas, those heroes,
having each gratified Brahmanas by giving them gold,[30] and kine, and
robes, and having addressed one another in loving discourse, ignited
those fires and took that vow in battle. And in the prese