Goharana Parva — The marching of the army

Vaishampayana said O great king, entering the service of the king Virata and living in that excellent city, the high-souled Pandavas of immeasurable prowess, passed the promised period in disguise, without being detected.

After the death of Kichaka, the powerful king Virata, the slayer of hostile heroes, began to form great expectations of the sons of Kunti.

Thereupon, O descendant of Bharata, after the expiration of the thirteenth year, Susharma by force seized many of his kine.

Then a herdsman came with great speed to the city; coming down from the car and seeing the king of Matsya with ear-rings, consulting with his counsellors, the high-souled Pandavas and surrounded by heroes and warriors, adorned with ear-rings and bracelets,

And approaching the great king Virata, the enhancer of kingdom, seated in the court, he, with humility, said.

Vanquishing and humiliating us with our relatives in battle, the Trigartas are taking away thousands of your kine.'

O king of kings, "rescue them speedily so that they may not be lost.” Hearing his words the king collected his Matsya, army.

Consisting of cars, elephants, horses, infantry and pennons. The kings and princes put on their respective armours.

Brilliant, variegated and worthy of being worn by heroes according to their respective divisions. Virata's beloved brother Shatanika put on an armour made of adamant and adorned with gold. Madiraksha, next born to Shatanika, put on a strong armour plaited with gold and capable of withstanding every weapon. The armour, which the king of Matsya's himself wore, invincible, adorned with a hundred suns, a hundred was circles, a hundred spots, and a hundred eyes. The armour, that Suryadatta put on, was radiant like the sun, plaited with gold and broad like a hundred fragrant lotuses. The one, that Virata's eldest son Sankasha put on, was invulnerable, inade of burnished steel and adorned with a hundred golden eyes. In this way hundreds of god-like and powerful heroes, mighty carwarriors, adorned with weapons, put on their coats of mail.

Then they yoked to their excellent white cars, horses, equipped in mail. Matsya's glorious standard was hoisted on his beautiful car decked with gold and resembling the sun or moon in lustre. Other Kshatriya heroes too hoisted on their own cars golden flags of various forms and contrivances. Then the king of Matsya said to his younger brother Shatanika.

There is no doubt Kanka, Ballava, Tantipala and the greatly energetic Damagranthi will fight.

Give them cars adorned with flags and pennons, and variegated armours, invulnerable, and easy to wear.

Let them put on these on their persons; give them also weapons. That persons thus assuming heroic forms and resembling arms of elephant chiefs,

Cannot fight, I can not lead myself to believe.” Hearing those words of the king, who was anxiously hurrying on,

O king, Shatanika, ordered chariots for the sons of Pritha-Sahadeva, the king Bhima and Nakula.

Then those charioteers, delightedly having the devotion to the king always before them, speedily got the cars ready as commanded by the king.

Those slayers of foes then put on their persons those strong, easy and variegated armours which the king Virata had ordered for (those heroes) of unwearied actions. Then ascending cars drawn by good horses, those best of men,

The repressors of hostile army, the sons of Pritha, delightedly issued out. Those mighty car-warriors, the four heroic brothers, the Pandavas, of unfailing prowess, living in disguise, endue with celerity of movements and all well-skilled in the art of war, the sons of Pritha, ascending golden cars, those foi most of Kurus, followed Virata. Dreadful and infuriated elephants, sixty years old with beautiful tusks and rent temples and temporal juice trickling down, appearing like clouds pouring rain, driven by trained and skilled heroes, followed the king like so many moving hills. The leading heroes of Matsya who delightedly followed the king had eight thousand cars, a thousand elephants and sixty thousand horses.

O foremost of the Bharatas, that army of Virata, issuing out marking the foot-prints of the kine, looked beautiful.

While marching, that best of armies, belonging to Virata, filled with soldiers armed with strong weapons, abounding in elephants, horses and cars, looked really splendid.