. We, O ascetic, have our habitation in these woods
abounding in animals of all kinds. Why dost thou, so delicate and
brought up in luxury and possessed of the splendour of fire, dwell alone
in such a solitary region?' Arjuna said, 'Depending on the _Gandiva_ and
arrows blazing like fire, I live in this great forest, like a second
_Pavaki_. Thou hast seen how this monster--this terrible
_Rakshasa_--that came hither in the form of an animal, hath been slain
by me.' The _Kirata_ replied, 'This _Rakshasa_, first struck with the
shot from my bow, was killed and sent to the regions of Yama by me. He
was first aimed at by me. And it is with my shot that he has been
deprived of life. Proud of thy strength, it behoveth thee not to impute
thy own fault to others. Thou art thyself in fault, O wretch, and,
therefore, shalt not escape from me with life. Stay thou: I will shoot
at thee shafts like thunderbolts. Strive thou also and shoot, to the
best of thy power, thy arrows at me.' Hearing these words of the
_Kirata_, Arjuna became angry, and attacked him with arrows. The
_Kirata_, however, with a glad heart received all those shafts upon
himself, repeatedly saying, 'Wretch, wretch, shoot thou best arrows
capable of piercing into the very vitals.' Thus addressed, Arjuna, began
to shower his arrows on him. Both of them then became angry and,
engaging in fierce conflict, began to shoot at each other showers of
arrows, each resembling a snake of virulent poison. And Arjuna rained a
perfect shower of arrows on the _Kirata_. Sankara, however, bore that
downpour on him with a cheerful heart. But the wielder of the _Pinaka_,
having borne that shower of arrows for a moment, stood unwounded,
immovable like a hill. Dhananjaya, beholding his arrowy shower become
futile, wondered exceedingly, repeatedly saying, 'Excellent! Excellent!
Alas, this mountaineer of delicate limbs, dwelling on the heights of the
Himavat, beareth, without wavering, the shafts shot from the _Gandiva_!
Who is he? Is he Rudra himself, or some other god, or a Yaksha, or an
Asura? The gods sometimes do descend on the heights of the Himavat.
Except the god who wieldeth the _Pinaka_, there is none rise that can
bear the impetuosity of the thousands of arrows shot by me from the
_Gandiva_. Whether he is a god or a Yaksha, in fact, anybody except
Rudra, I shall soon send him, with my shafts, to the regions of Yama.'
Thus thinking, Arjuna, with a cheerful heart, began, O king, to