worship,
went away. And the gods capable of going everywhere at will, and endued
with the speed of the mind, returned to the places whence they had come."

"That bull among men--Arjuna--having obtained weapons thus, was filled
with pleasure. And he regarded himself as one whose desires had been
fulfilled and who was crowned with success."

SECTION XLII

(Indralokagamana Parva)

Vaisampayana said, "After the Lokapalas had gone away, Arjuna--that
slayer of all foes--began to think, O monarch, of the car of Indra! And
as Gudakesa gifted with great intelligence was thinking of it, the car
endued with great effulgence and guided by Matali, came dividing the
clouds and illuminating the firmament and filling the entire welkin with
its rattle deep as the roar of mighty masses of clouds. Swords, and
missiles of terrible forms and maces of frightful description, and winged
darts of celestials splendour and lightnings of the brightest effulgence,
and thunderbolts, and propellors furnished with wheels and worked with
atmosphere expansion and producing sounds loud as the roar of great
masses of clouds, were on that car. And there were also on that car
fierce and huge-bodied Nagas with fiery mouths, and heaps of stones white
as the fleecy clouds. And the car was drawn by ten thousands of horses of
golden hue, endued with the speed of the wind. And furnished with prowess
of illusion, the car was drawn with such speed that the eye could hardly
mark its progress. And Arjuna saw on that car the flag-staff called
Vaijayanta, of blazing effulgence, resembling in hue the emerald or the
dark-blue lotus, and decked with golden ornaments and straight as the
bamboo. And beholding a charioteer decked in gold seated on that car, the
mighty-armed son of Pritha regarded it as belonging to the celestials.
And while Arjuna was occupied with his thoughts regarding the car, the
charioteer Matali, bending himself after descending from the car,
addressed him, saying, 'O lucky son of Sakra! Sakra himself wisheth to
see thee. Ascend thou without loss of time this car that hath been sent
by Indra. The chief of the immortals, thy father--that god of a hundred
sacrifices--hath commanded me, saying, 'Bring the son of Kunti hither.
Let the gods behold him.' And Sankara himself, surrounded by the
celestials and Rishis and Gandharvas and Apsaras, waiteth to behold thee.
At the command of the chastiser of Paka, therefore, ascend thou with me
from this to