Chapter 135
“Vaisampayana said, ‘When everyone had failed, Drona smilingly calledArjuna and said unto him, ‘By thee the aim must be shot; therefore, turnthy eyes to it. Thou must let fly the arrow as soon as I give the order.
Therefore, O son, stand here with bow and arrow for an instant.’ Thusaddressed, Arjuna stood aiming at the bird as desired by his preceptor,with his bow bent. An instant after Drona asked him as in the case ofothers, ‘Seest thou, O Arjuna, the bird there, the tree, and myself?’Arjuna replied, ‘I see the bird only, but nor the tree, or thyself.’ Thenthe irrepressible Drona, well-pleased with Arjuna, the instant after,again said unto that mighty car-warrior amongst the Pandavas, ‘If thouseest the vulture, then describe it to me.’ Arjuna said, I see only thehead of the vulture, not its body.’ At these words of Arjuna, the hair(on Drona’s body) stood on end from delight. He then said to Partha,’Shoot.’ And the latter instantly let fly (his arrow) and with his sharpshaft speedily struck off the head of the vulture on the tree and broughtit down to the ground. No sooner was the deed done than Drona claspedPhalguna to his bosom and thought Drupada with his friends had alreadybeen vanquished in fight.
“Some time after, O bull of Bharata’s race, Drona, accompanied by all ofhis pupils, went to the bank of the Ganga to bathe in that sacred stream.And when Drona had plunged into the stream, a strong alligator, sent asit were, by Death himself seized him by the thigh. And though himselfquite capable, Drona in a seeming hurry asked his pupil to rescue him.And he said, ‘O, kill this monster and rescue me.’ Contemporaneously withthis speech, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) struck the monster within the water withfive sharp arrows irresistible in their course, while the other pupilsstood confounded, each at his place. Beholding Arjuna’s readiness, Dronaconsidered him to be the foremost of all his pupils, and became highlypleased. The monster, in the meantime cut into pieces by the arrows ofArjuna, released the thigh of illustrious Drona and gave up the ghost.The son of Bharadwaja then addressed the illustrious and mightycar-warrior Arjuna and said, ‘Accept, O thou of mighty arms, this verysuperior and irresistible weapon called Brahmasira with the methods ofhurling and recalling it. Thou must not, however, ever use it against anyhuman foe, for if hurled at any foe endued with inferior energy, it mightburn the whole universe. It is said, O child, that this weapon hath not apeer in the three worlds. Keep it, therefore, with great care, and listento what I say. If ever, O hero, any foe, not human, contendeth againstthee thou mayst then employ it against him for compassing his death inbattle.’ Pledging himself to do what he was bid, Vibhatsu then, withjoined hands, received that great weapon.
The preceptor then, addressing him again, said, ‘None else in this worldwill ever become a superior bowman to thee. Vanquished thou shall neverbe by any foe, and thy achievements will be great.'”
