brows. Some had strings
of grass on their bodies, O monarch, and some had curly hair. Some had
head-gears made of cloth, some had coronets, some had beautiful faces,
and some were adorned with ornaments. Some had ornaments made of lotuses,
and some were decked with flowers. They numbered in hundreds and
thousands.

"'Some were armed with shataghnis, some with thunder, and some had mushalas
in their hands. Some had bhushundis, some had nooses, and some had maces
in their hands, O Bharata! On the backs of some were slung quivers
containing excellent shafts, and all were fierce in battle. Some had
standards with banners and bells, and some were armed with battle-axes.
Some had large nooses in their uplifted arms, and some had clubs and
bludgeons. Some had stout posts in their hands, some had scimitars, and
some had snakes with erect heads for their diadems. Some had large snakes
(wound round their upper arms) for angadas, and some had beautiful
ornaments on their persons. Some were begrimed with dust, some smutted
with mire, and all were attired in white robes and white garments. The
limbs of some were blue, while others had limbs that were tawny. And some
there were that were beardless. Those beings, called companions,
possessed of golden complexions, and filled with joy, played upon drums
and horns and cymbals and jharjharas and anakas and gomukhas. And some
sang and some danced about uttering loud sounds, and some leapt forward
and cut capers and jumped sideways. Endued with great fleetness, they ran
about most fiercely, the hair on their heads waving in the air, like huge
elephants infuriated with passion and frequently uttering loud roars.
Terrible, and of frightful mien and armed with lances and battle-axes,
they were attired in robes of diverse hues and decked with beautiful
garlands and unguents. Adorned with angadas decked with gems, and with
uplifted arms, they were endued with great courage. Capable of forcibly
slaying all foes, they were irresistible in prowess. Drinkers of blood
and fat and other animal matter, they subsisted on the flesh and entrails
of animals. Some had their locks tied in tall tufts above their heads.
Some had single tufts on their heads; some had rings on their ears; and
some had stomachs resembling earthen vessels used for cooking. Some were
of very short statures, and some were very high in stature. Some were
tall and very fierce. Some had grim features, some had long lips, and the
geni