Chapter 83

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Worshipped by the ruler of Magadha, Pandu’s sonhaving white steeds yoked unto his car, proceeded along the south,following the (sacrificial) steed. Turning round in course of hiswanderings at will, the mighty steed came upon the beautiful city of theChedis called after the oyster.[199] Sarabha, the son of Sisupala, enduedwith great strength, first encountered Arjuna in battle and thenworshipped him with due honours. Worshipped by him, O king, that best ofsteeds then proceeded to the realms of the Kasis, the Angas, the Kosalas,the Kiratas, and the Tanganas. Receiving due honours in all those realms,Dhananjaya turned his course. Indeed, the son of Kunti then proceeded tothe country of the Dasarnas. The ruler of that people was Chitrangada whowas endued with great strength and was a crusher of foes. Between him andVijaya occurred a battle exceedingly terrible. Bringing him under hissway the diadem-decked Arjuna, that foremost of men, proceeded to thedominions of the Nishada king, viz., the son of Ekalavya. The soon ofEkalavya received Arjuna in battle. The encounter that took place betweenthe Kuru hero and the Nishadas was so furious as to make the hair standon end. Unvanquished in battle, the valiant son of Kunti defeated theNishada king who proved an obstacle to the sacrifice. Having subjugatedthe son of Ekalavya, O king, the son of Indra, duly worshipped by theNishadas, then proceeded towards the southern ocean. In those regionsbattle took place between the diadem-decked hero and the Dravidas andAndhras and the fierce Mahishakas and the hillmen of Kolwa. Subjugatingthose tribes without having to accomplish any fierce feats, Arjunaproceeded to the country of the Surashtras, his footsteps guided by thehorse. Arrived at Gokarna, he repaired thence to Prabhasa. Next heproceeded to the beautiful city of Dwaravati protected by the heroes ofthe Vrishni race. When the beautiful sacrificial horse of the Kuru kingreached Dwaravati, the Yadava youths, used force against that foremost ofsteeds. King Ugrasena, however, soon went out and forbade those youthsfrom doing what they meditated. Then the ruler of the Vrishnis and theAndhakas, issuing out of his palace, with Vasudeva, the maternal uncle ofArjuna, in his company, cheerfully met the Kuru hero and received himwith due rites. The two elderly chiefs honoured Arjuna duly. Obtainingtheir permission, the Kuru prince then proceeded to where the horse hefollowed, led him. The sacrificial steed then proceeded along the coastof the western ocean and at last reached the country of the five waterswhich swelled with population and prosperity. Thence, O king, the steedproceeded to the country of Gandharas. Arrived there, it wandered atwill, followed by the son of Kunti. Then occurred a fierce battle betweenthe diadem-decked hero and the ruler of Gandharas, viz., the son ofSakuni, who had a bitter rememberance of the grudge his sire bore to thePandavas.’