Sauptika Parva — .-Contd. Ashvatthaman goes to the Pandava camp and sees a huge being who devours all his Weapons

Dhritarashtra Said “Seeing Drona's son stop at the gate of the camp, what, O Sanjaya, did those two great car-warriors, viz., Kripa and Kritavarman, do? Tell me this."

Sanjaya said "Inviting Kritavarman as also the great carwarrior Kripa, Drona's son, worked up with rage, approached the gate of the camp.

He there saw a being of huge frame capable of making the very hair erect and endued with the effulgence of the Sun or the Moon, guarding the entrance.

round his loins was a tiger-skin covered with blood, and he had a black deer for his upper garment. He had for his sacred thread a large snake.

His arms were long and massive, and held many sorts of uplifted weapons. He had for his armlet a huge snake wound round his upper arin. His mouth was ablaze with flames of fire.

His teeth made his face terrible to look at. His mouth was open and dreadful. His face had a thousand of beautiful eyes.

His body and his dress were beyond description. Upon seeing him the very mountains would split into a thousand pieces.

From those blazing flames of fire came out of his mouth and nose and ears and all those thousand of eyes.

From those blazing flames hundreds and thousands of Hrishikeshas came out armed with conchs and discs and maces.

Seeing that extraordinary being capable of striking terror to the entire world, Drona's son, without any fear covered him with showers of celestial weapons. That being, however, devoured all those arrows discharged by Drona's son.

Like the Vadava fire devouring the waters of the ocean, that being devoured the arrows discharged by the son of Drona.

Seeing his arrowy showers prove fruitless, Ashvathaman discharged at him a long dart burning like fire.

That blazing dart striking against that being, broke into pieces like a huge meteor at the end of a cycle breaking and falling down from the sky after striking against.

Without losing a moment Ashvatthaman drew from its sheath an excellent sky-coloured scimitar having a golden hilt. The scimitar came out like a snake from its whole.

The intelligent son of Drona then threw that excellent scimitar at that being. approaching that being the weapon disappeared within his body like a mungoose disappearing in its hole.

Worked up with anger the son of Drona then hurled a blazing mace huge as a pole set up in honor of Indra. That being devoured that mace also.

At last, when all his weapons were exhausted, Ashvatthaman, looking around, saw the entire sky densely crowded with images of Janarddana.

Seeing that wonderful spectacle Drona's son, divested of weapons, recollected the words of Kripa, and burning with grief, said,-"He who hears not the beneficial words of friends, repents being overwhelmed with calamity, as does my foolish self for having disregarded by two well-wishers.

That fool who, disregarding the way laid down by the scriptures, tries to kill his enemies, falls off from the path of righteousness and is lost in sin.

One should not use weapons against kine, Brahmanas, kings, women, friends, one's own mother, one's own preceptor, a weak man, an idiot, a blind man, a sleeping man, a terrified man, one just got up from sleep, an intoxicated person, a lunatic, and one that is careless. The ancient preceptors always preached this truth to men.

By neglecting the eternal way pointed out by the scriptures and by trying to follow a wrong path I have, however, fallen into a dreadful distress.

It is described by the wise as a terrible calamily when one through fear, cannot achieve a great feat after having tried to do the same.

By using my skill and power, I am unable to achieve that which I have promised? Human exertion is never more powerful than destiny.

If any action of a man that is undertaken becomes unsuccessful through destiny, the actor becomes like one who deviating from the path of virtue is lost in the wilderness of sin.

The wise describe defeat as foolishness when one having undertaken a task abandons it from fear.

For the wickedness of my attempt, this great calamity has befallen me, otherwise Drona's son would never had been compelled to hold back from battle.

Again this being, who is before me, is most wonderful. He stands there like the uplifted rod of divine punishment. Thinking much even, I Cannot recognise this being.

Forsooth, that being is the dreadful outcome of this my sinful determination which I had attempted to achieve by unfair means, He stands there for baffling my resolution.

It seems, therefore, that my casing from fight had been ordained by destiny. It is useless for me to try to accomplish my resolution unless density becomes favorable.

I shall, therefore, at this hour, seek the protection of the powerful Mahadeva. He will remove this dreadful rod of divine punishment uplifted before me.

I will seek refuge with that god, that source of all good, viz., the lord of Uma, otherwise called Kaparddin, adorned with a garland of human skulls, that plucker of Bhaga's eyes, called also Rudra and Hara.

In ascetic practices and power, he far! excells all the gods. I shall, therefore, seek refuge with Girisha armed with trident.'