keen-edged arrow. Indra saw all this, and desiring to save
his friend's son, the wielder of the thunderbolt, by raising a violent
wind, deprived Arjuna of consciousness. During those few moments,
Aswasena succeeded in effecting his escape. Beholding that manifestation
of the power of illusion, and deceived by that snake, Arjuna was much
enraged. He forthwith cut every animal seeking to escape by the skies,
into two, three, or more pieces. And Vibhatsu in anger, and Agni, and
Vasudeva also, cursed the snake that had escaped so deceitfully, saying,
'Never shalt thou be famous!' And Jishnu remembering the deception
practised upon him, became angry, and covering the firmament with a cloud
of arrows, sought to fight with him of a thousand eyes. The chief of the
celestials also, seeing Arjuna in anger, sought to fight with him, and
hurled his own fierce weapons, covering the wide expanse of the
firmament. Then the winds, making a loud roar and agitating all the
oceans, brought together masses of clouds in the sky, charged with
torrents of rain. Those masses of clouds began to vomit thunder and
terrible flashes of lightning charged with the thunderclap. Then Arjuna
possessing a knowledge of means, hurled the excellent weapon called
Vayavya with proper mantras to dispel those clouds. With that weapon the
energy and force of Indra's thunderbolt and of those clouds were
destroyed. And the torrents of rain with which those clouds were charged
were all dried up, and the lightning that played amongst them was also
destroyed. Within a moment the sky was cleared of dust and darkness, and
a delicious, cool breeze began to blow and the disc of the sun resumed
its normal state. Then the eater of clarified butter (Agni), glad because
none could baffle him, assumed various forms, and sprinkled over with the
fat exuded by the bodies of creatures, blazed forth with all his flames,
filling the universe with his roar. Then numerous birds of the Garuda
tribe bearing excellent feathers, beholding that the forest was protected
by Krishna and Arjuna, descended filled with pride, from the upper skies,
desirous of striking those heroes with their thunderlike wings, beaks and
claws. Innumerable Nagas also, with faces emitting fire descending from
high, approached Arjuna, vomiting the most virulent poison all the while.
Beholding them approach, Arjuna cut them into pieces by means of arrows
steeped in the fire of his own wrath. Then those birds and snak