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Ar no distance from where on the banks of the river Nerbuda, that dreadful lord of Rakshasas collected the flowers, Arjuna, the King of Mahismati, and the foremost of the victorous, was sporting with his wives in the water. And being encircled by them the king Arjuna appeared like a leading elephant surrounded by a thousands of she elephants. In order to measure the strength of his thousand arms the King of Hazhayas obstructed the course of Nerbuda. Being obstructed by the arms of Kartavirjarjuna and having flooded the banks with her pure waters, Nerbuda flowed in an opposite direction. And the currents, rising high as during the rainy season flowed with fishes, and crocodiles. And that stream, as_ if

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driven against Ravana by K4rtavirjarjuna, carried away his collection of flowers. And having given up his worship which was half-finished Ravana looked towards Nerbuda looking like an unwilling damsel and saw that she, with rising currents, was flowing towards the east from the west and the waters beyond that were in a natural state like a quiet lady and the birds were seated there without any anxiety. Thereupon being anxious to learn the cause of the rise of the river, the Tennecked demon, with his right finger, hinted Suka and Sarana. Being commanded by Ravana, the two brothers, the heroic Suka and Sarana proceeded towards the west by the eerial way. And going half a league, the two night-rangers espied a man sporting in the waters with some females. He was huge as a S&la tree, his hairs were floating on the water, he was inebriete and his eyes were reddened in consequence thereof. Like unto Sumeru holding the earth with his thousand feet he obstructed the current of the river with his thousand arms. And he was surrounded by a thousands of beautiful damsels like an elephant by a thousands of she-elephants. Beholding that dreadful spectacle, the Rakshasas Suka and Sarana came back and approaching Ravana communicated (all) unto him. “O lord of Rakshasas, an unknown person, huge as a Sala tree, is sporting with females obstructing the course of Nerbuda like unto a dam. And being withheld by the thousand arms of that man the waters of Nerbuda were continually throwing up high waves.” Hearing the words of Suka and Sarana, Ravana exclaimed “This is Arjuna’ and proceeded to fight with him. Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, having set out with a hostile intention against Kartavirjarjuna, the wind mixed with dust began to blow high with tumultuous sound. And the clouds began to mutter with a downpour ofrain. And the lord of Rakshasas proceeded against Arjuna with Mahodara, Mahaparswa, Dhrumakshya, Suka and Sarana. Within a short time the dreadful Rakshasa, powerful as the elephant Arjuna, reached the banks of Nerbuda

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and espied there Arjuna encircled ly females as an elephant surrounded by she-elephants. At the very sight the eyes of the lord of R&kshasas, proud of his prowess, grew red and addressing the councillers of the king Arjuna he said “Do ye communicate unto the king of Harhkayas that Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, hath come to fight with him.” Hearing the words of Ravana, the ministers of Arjuna stood up with arms and said :—“O good Ravana, thou art well cognizant of the proper time for fighting. Now our king is drunk and is sporting with the females in the waters. And now dost thou wish to fight with him. Therefore, O Ten-necked one, do thou spend the night here, if thou art bent upon fighting. Or even if thou art anxious to enter speedily into conflict with Arjuna do thou slay us all at first, and then fight with the king.” Thereupon the hungry councillors of Ravana, slew some of the ministers of the king and devoured some. There arose a dreadful uproar on the banks of Nerbuda, of the councillors of Ravana and Arjuna. The warriors of Arjuna assailed Ravana and his ministers with hundreds of arrows, Pragas, darts; Tomaras, thunder-bolts and Karpanas. The warriors of Arjyna became dreadfully furious and emitted cries like the roaring of the deep infested with crocodiles, fishes and other marine monsters. Thereupon being enraged and displaying their own prowess Suka, Sarana and other ministers of Ravana began to destroy Arjuna’s soldiers. Thereupon the emissaries, stricken with fear, went to the sporting king and communicated unto him the proceedings of Ravana and his ministers. Hearing those words and saying unto the females‘Do not fear”he rose up from the waters like an elephant. The eyes of that fire-like Arjuna were reddened with ire and he shone dreadfully like the fire of dissolution. And taking up speedily his club, that one, always using golden clubs, pursued the Rakshasas like unto darkness following the sun. Holding up the huge club and hurling it with his arms, Arjuna, resorting to the velocity of Garuda,

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vent on. Thereupon stood there obstructing his course Rakshasa, worked up with anger and with a mace in his hand, like unto the Vindhya range standing in the way of the sun. And throwing down off his hand the iron mace, he, in anger, began to roar, like Yama. And the top of the mace was ablaze like the tips of Asoka flowers. Not the least agitated on beholding that mace, the king Arjuna, by his club, baffled its action. Thereupon uplifting the huge club, five hundred hands long, the king of Hazhayas pursued Prahasta. And within a short time being struck down by that club gifted with great velocity Prahasta fell down on earth like unto the summit of a mountain clapped down by the thunder-bolt of Indra. Beholding Prahasta fallen; ‘Maricha, Suka, Sirana, Mahodara and Dhrumakshya fled away from the battle-field. All the councillors having thus fled away and Prahasta being slain Ravana speedily proceeded towards Arjuna, the foremost of kings. Thereupon there ensued a terrible encounter capable of making down erect betweén the thousand-armed Arjuna, the king of meh, and the twenty-armed Ravana, the king of Rakshasas: And taking up their clubs Arjuna and Ravana began to fight with one another emitting cries like the mutterings of clouds, like unto two huge bulls fighting for a cow, two agitated oceans; two moving mountains, two effulgent Adityas, two butning flames; two proud elephants, two proud liors arid like the very Rudra and Kala. As the mountains suffer many cldppings of thunder-bolts so did they. beat many strokes. And all the quarters were resounded with thé sound froceéding from the stroke of their clubs like unto the sound of thunder-bolts. Being placed against the breast of Ravana Arjuna’s club rendered; for a moment,the welkin look like the burning gold as does thé lightning. And striking again and-again against Arjuna’s breast Ravana's clib looked like a huge fire-brand. Arjuna wag not worn out nor was Ravana. And the conflict went on 211

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between them like the encounter between Bala and Vasava in the days of yore. The King of.men and the King of Rakshasas assailed and wounded one another with their clubs like unto two bulls striking one another with their horns and two elephants with their tusks. Thereupon worked up with rage, Arjuna, with his full might, smote Ravana on his breast, with his club. But Ravana was well protected by the boon of the celestial, so the club fell on earth sundered into two pieces like one hurled by a weak wight. Still wounded by the mace of Arjuna, Ravana, shedding tears, ran away at a distance of four feet and sat there. Beholding Ravana thus over-whelmed Arjuna sprang up and caught him like Garuda holding a serpent and Vishnu binding Bali. Dacagriva being thus bound, the Siddhas, Charanas and the celestials exclaiming “Well done! Well done!!”’ showered flowers upon Arjuna. And the king emitted leonine roars again and again as a tiger joyous roars like a cloud, holding a deer under his grasp. Regaining his sense and beholding Ravana bound, Prahasta, in great anger, pursued, the King of Hathayas. Andthe Rakshasa force grew tempestuous like unto the rising of the ocean during rains. Thereupon exclaiming repeatedly “Leave him off! Leave him off!! Wait! Wait !!’” The Rakshasa host hurled hundreds of Musalas and darts in the battle-field. Not the least moved thereby the king Arjuna, the slayer of enemies, bore those weapons of the enemies of the celestials. Thereupon baffling the weapons of the Rakshasas by means of many a dreadful and excellent one, Arjuna, the king of Haihayas, drove them away like winds scattering the clouds. Having thus struck terror unto the night-rangers, he, encircled by his own kinsmen, repaired to his own city with Ravana, carrying him bound like unto Indra carrying Bali bound. Thereupon flowers and fried paddy were showered upon him by the Brahmanas and citizens.