Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/333

Rh "When the day fixed for the exhibition came, the king accompanied by his ministers, with Bhishma and Kripa, the foremost of preceptors, walking abead, came unto that theatre of almost celestial beauty constructed of pure gold, and decked with strings of pearls and stones of lapis lazuli. And, O first of victorious men, Gandhari blessed with great good fortune and Kunti, and the other ladies of the royal household, in gorgeous attire and accompanied by their waiting women, joyfully ascended the platforms, like celestial ladies ascending the Sumeru mountain. And the four orders including the Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, desirous of beholding the princes' skill in arm, left the city and came running to the spot. And so impatient was every one to behold the spectacle, that the vast crowd assembled there in almost an insant. And with the sounds of trumpets and drums and the noise of many voices, that vast concourse appeared like an agitated ocean.

"At last. Drona accompanied by his son, dressed in white (attire).. with a white sacred thread, white locks, white beard, white garlands. and white sandal paste rubbed over his body, entered the lists. It seemed as if the Moon himself accompanied by the planet. Mars appeared in an unclouded sky. On entering Bharadwaja performed timely worship and caused Brahmanas versed in mantras to celebrate the auspicious rites. And after auspicious and sweet-sounding musical instruments had been struck up as a propitiatory ceremony, some persons entered, equipped with various arms. And then having girded up their loins, those mighty warriors, those foremost ones of Bharata's race (viz.. the princes) entered, furnished with finger-protectors (gauntlet), and bows, and quivers. And with Yudhishthira at their head, the valiant princes entered in order of age and began to show wonderful skill with their weapons. Some of the spectators lowered their heads, apprehending fall of arrows while others fearlessly gazed on with wonder. And riding swiftly on horses and managing them dexterously' the princes began to hit marks with shafts engraved with their respective na mes. And seeing the prowess of the princes armed with bows and arrows, the spectators thought that they were beholding the city of the Gandharvas, became filled with amazement. And, O Bharata, all on a sudden, some hundreds and thousands, with eyes wide open in wonder, exclaimed.-'Well done! Well done r' And having repeatedly displayed their skill and dexterity in the use of the bows and arrows and in the management of cars, the mighty warriors took up their swords and bucklers, and began to range the lists, playing their Weapons. The spectators saw (with wonder their agility, the symmetry of their bodies, their grace, their calmness, the firmness of their grasp

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