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every kind of enjoyable thing by their celestial hosts on Gandhamādana, the Pāṇḍavas thought only of Arjuna The Yakṣas brought Dhaumya and Draupadī to the mountain summit to be with the Pāṇḍavas and to greet Arjuna

Indra then allowed Arjuna to use his chariot and gave him a suit of impenetrable armor.

Arjuna assented to his elder brother’s request and prepared to display the weapons.

Arjuna sat amid his brothers while they asked him to tell them all about his adventures. Arjuna told them that after he had received his training from Indra, he had to offer him dakṣiṇa. Indra had said to Arjuna, “There is nothing in the three worlds which you cannot now achieve.

Nārada turned to Yudhiṣṭhira, “O Ajātaśatru, you will see all the weapons when Arjuna uses them in the

Blessed by the celestials, Arjuna then set out on Indra’s chariot. Arjuna described the ocean to his brothers.

As Arjuna spoke his brothers looked at him in amazement.

Upon it they saw Arjuna seated like Indra himself.

As Arjuna ended his narration, Yudhiṣṭhira was awestruck.

Arjuna continued: “I then left the Dānava city and headed back toward Amarāvatī.

As it reached the ground, Arjuna got down and bowed at Dhaumya’s feet, then at Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma’

A shower of flowers fell upon Arjuna as he looked about in amazement.

The steeds drew back and Mātali dropped his whip and cried out, ‘Where are you, Arjuna?

Arjuna described how Mātali had steered the mystical chariot, which could travel anywhere in the three

Mātali said, ‘O sinless Arjuna, although I have accompanied Indra in many encounters with the demons,

Seeing this Mātali said, ‘O Arjuna, take heart. Use Indra’s thunderbolt weapon.

Some resembled lions, some tigers, and others bears and buffaloes. There were serpent-shaped missiles and others shaped like elephants, bulls, boars and cats. Simultaneously, the battlefield filled up with Śiva’s followers--innumerable Guhyakas, Yakṣas, Piśācas, Bhūtas, and

“They closed the city gates and manned the ramparts. I saw thousands of demons standing with bows, swords, javelins, axes, maces and clubs, their hearts filled with fear and their limbs trembling. They were clad in shining mail and they clutched maces, spears, clubs, sabers, hatchets, rockets, guns and swords ornamented with gold and jewels.

They eulogized me with select Vedic prayers and thus inspired me. I was surrounded and enveloped by sheets of fierce-looking shafts, but I countered the demons’ arrows and the downpour of spears, maces and clubs.