Page:The Mahabharata (Kishori Mohan Gangopadhyay, First Edition) Volume 16.djvu/36

Rh escorts them, transgressing us. The warriors (of the Vrishnis) are without energy.' Then those robbers, numbering by thousands, and armed with clubs, rushed towards the procession of the Vrishnis, desirous for plunder. Urged by the perverse course of time, they fell upon that vast concourse, frightening it with loud leonine shouts and desirous of slaughter. The son of Kunti, suddenly ceasing to advance along the path, turned, with his followers, towards the place where the robbers had attacked the procession. Smiling the while, that mighty-armed warrior addressed the assailants, saying,'Ye sinful wretches, forbear, if ye love your lives! Ye will rue this when I pierce your bodied with my shafts and take your lives!' Though thus addressed by that hero, they disregarded his words, and though repeatedly dissuaded, they fell upon Arjuna. Then Arjuna endeavoured to string his large, indestructible, celestial bow with some effort. He succeeded with great difficulty in stringing it, when the battle had become furious. He then began to think of his celestial weapons but they would not come to his mind. Beholding that furious battle, the loss of the might of his arm, and the non-appearance of his celestial weapons, Arjuna became greatly ashamed. The Vrishni warriors including the foot-soldiers, the elephant-warriors, and the car-men, failed to rescue those Vrishni women that were being snatched away by the robbers. The concourse was very large. The robbers assailed it at different points. Arjuna tried his best to protect it, but could not succeed. In the very sight of all the warriors, many foremost of ladies were dragged away, while others went away with the robbers of their own accord. The puissant Arjuna, supported by the servants of the Vrishnis, struck the robbers with shafts sped from Gāndiva. Soon, however, O king, his shafts were exhausted. In former days his shafts had been inexhaustible. Now, however, they proved otherwise. Finding his shafts exhausted, he became deeply afflicted with grief. The son of Indra then began to strike the robbers with the horns of his bow. Those Mlechcchas, however, O Janamejaya, in the very sight of Pārtha, retreated, taking away with them many foremost ladies of the Vrishnis and Andha-