Chapter 43

“Vrihannala said, ‘That about which thou hath first enquired is Arjuna’sbow, of world-wide fame, called Gandiva, capable of devastating hostilehosts. Embellished with gold, this Gandiva, the highest and largest ofall weapons belonged to Arjuna. Alone equal unto a hundred thousandweapons, and always capable of extending the confines of kingdoms, it iswith this that Partha vanquisheth in battle both men and celestials.Worshipped ever by the gods, the Danavas and the Gandharvas andvariegated with excellent colours, this large and smooth bow is without aknot or stain anywhere. Shiva held it first for a thousand years.Afterwards Prajapati held it for five hundred and three years. After thatSakra, for five and eighty years. And then Soma held it for five hundredyears. And after that Varuna held it for a hundred years. And finallyPartha, surnamed Swetavahana,[48] hath held it for five and sixtyyears.[49] Endued with great energy and of high celestial origin, this isthe best of all bows. Adored among gods and men, it hath a handsome form.Partha obtained this beautiful bow from Varuna. This other bow ofhandsome sides and golden handle is Bhima’s with which that son ofPritha, that chastiser of foes, had conquered the whole of the easternregions. This other excellent bow of beautiful shape, adorned with imagesof Indragopakas, belongeth, O Virata’s son, to king Yudhishthira. Thisother weapon with golden suns of blazing splendour shedding a dazzlingeffulgence around, belongeth to Nakula. And this bow adorned with goldenimages of insects and set also with gems and stones, belongeth to thatson of Madri who is called Sahadeva. These winged arrows, thousand innumber, sharp as razors and destructive as the poison of snakes, belong,O Virata’s son, to Arjuna. When shooting them in battle against foes,these swift arrows blaze forth more brilliantly and become inexhaustible.And these long and thick shafts resembling the lunar crescent in shape,keen-edged and capable of thinning the enemy’s ranks, belong to Bhima.And this quiver bearing five images of tigers, full of yellowish shaftswhetted on stone and furnished with golden wings belong to Nakula. Thisis the quiver of the intelligent son of Madri, with which he hadconquered in battle the whole of the western regions. And these arrows,all effulgent as, the sun, painted all over with various colours, andcapable of destroying enemies by thousands are those of Sahadeva. Andthese short and well-tempered and thick shafts, furnished with longfeathers and golden heads, and consisting of three knots, belong to kingYudhishthira. And this sword with blade long and carved with the image ofa toad and head shaped as a toad’s mouth, strong and irresistiblebelongeth to Arjuna. Cased in a sheath of tiger-skin, of long blade,handsome and irresistible, and terrible to adversaries, this swordbelongeth to Bhimasena. Of excellent blade and cased in a well-paintedsheath, and furnished with a golden hilt, this handsome sword belongethto the wise Kaurava–Yudhishthira the just. And this sword of strongblade, irresistible and intended for various excellent modes of fight andcased in a sheath of goat-skin, belongeth to Nakula. And this hugescimitar, cased in a sheath of cow-skin, strong and irresistiblebelongeth to Sahadeva.'”