btaining Krishna gone, looked sad and woeful. And beholding the plight
of those monarchs, Karna that foremost of all wielders of the bow went to
where the bow was, and quickly raising it strung it and placed the arrows
on the string. And beholding the son of Surya--Karna of the Suta
tribe--like unto fire, or Soma, or Surya himself, resolved to shoot the
mark, those foremost of bowmen--the sons of Pandu--regarded the mark as
already shot and brought down upon the ground. But seeing Karna, Draupadi
loudly said, 'I will not select a Suta for my lord.' Then Karna, laughing
in vexation and casting glance at the Sun, threw aside the bow already
drawn to a circle.

Then when all those Kshatriyas gave up the task, the heroic king of the
Chedis--mighty as Yama (Pluto) himself--the illustrious and determined
Sisupala, the son of Damaghosa, in endeavouring to string the bow,
himself fell upon his knees on the ground. Then king Jarasandha endued
with great strength and powers, approaching the bow stood there for some
moment, fixed and motionless like a mountain. Tossed by the bow, he too
fell upon his knees on the ground, and rising up, the monarch left the
amphitheatre for (returning to) his kingdom. Then the great hero Salya,
the king of Madra, endued with great strength, in endeavouring to string
the bow fell upon his knees on the ground. At last when in that
assemblage consisting of highly respectable people, all the monarchs had
become subjects of derisive talk that foremost of heroes--Jishnu, the son
of Kunti--desired to string the bow and placed the arrows on the
bow-string.'"

SECTION CLXL

(Swayamvara Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana continued, 'When all the monarchs had desisted from
stringing that bow, the high-souled Jishnu arose from among the crowd of
Brahmanas seated in that assembly. And beholding Partha possessing the
complexion of Indra's banner, advancing towards the bow, the principal
Brahmanas shaking their deer-skins raised a loud clamour. And while some
were displeased, there were others that were well-pleased. And some there
were, possessed of intelligence and foresight, who addressing one another
said, 'Ye Brahmanas, how can a Brahmana stripling unpractised in arms and
weak in strength, string that bow which such celebrated Kshatriyas as
Salya and others endued with might and accomplished in the science and
practice of arms could not? If he doth not achieve success in this
untried task which he hath