'My mother's name is Pritha, which is why I am called Partha. My father Indra
gave me this jewelled crown. Thus, I came to be known as Kiriti. I was called
Dhananjaya when I conquered and won the wealth of all the kings in the
Rajasuya Yagna. My white horses were gifted to me by Agni. That is why I am
called Swetavahana.
I have never fought a battle by unfair means. That is why
my enemies call me Bhivatsu. I fight till the very end, until victory is mine and so
I am called Vijaya.
I am that same invincible warrior Bharatavarsha knows as
Arjuna.'
Uttara Kumara, the son of Virata, looked on in utter disbelief. His jaws
dropped as he saw the woman whom he knew as Brihannala transform herself
into the warrior Arjuna in the wink of an eye. The red sari fluttering in the air
now revealed a muscular chest. As Arjuna looked up, shedding the disguise of
Brihannala, the shape of a man's face showed up in the first rays of the rising
sun. The braided hair decked up in ribbons was now loosening up. Arjuna then
tied his long, windswept hair with a white cloth. His leonine eyes shone like an
arrested flame. A chiselled chin and sharp nose were unmistakeable parts of his
rugged, manly appearance. Arjuna had now come out of his disguise after his
long exile. Uttara Kumara had known the same Arjuna as his court dancer, who
put on coy looks and exhibited exaggerated feminine gestures. Arjuna's words
now pierced him like arrows:
'Now, that you have heard my many names Uttara, know that I am here to
fight for you against the entire Kaurava army who have gathered in front of
you.'
Arjuna's hands were long and muscular. The scars on his powerful shoulders
were mementoes from the many battles that he had fought. The pulse on his wrist
throbbed and blood swept in and swept out of his blue veins as he itched to take
on his opponents. When he walked towards his chariot, the earth echoed with the firm throb of his footsteps.
With Uttara as his charioteer, Arjuna moved furiously toward the battlefield.
He blew his conch, the Devdatta. With his famous bow Gandiva in his hand, he
rushed towards the Kaurava army, which was led by warriors like Karna,
Bhishma, Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Drona and Kripacharya. Two arrows
from Arjuna landed at the feet of Drona.
Then, Kripacharya and Bhishma were
also greeted with two arrows each at their feet. This was Arjuna's gesture of
respect to his mentor and his gurus. His teachers, now his adversaries, were
pleased with Arjuna's unfailing humility. Soon a set of arrows whizzed past the
ears of Drona and Bhishma. Thus, Arjuna announced the beginning of the battle.
The arrows left Arjuna's bow in the flash of an eye. The string of his Gandiva
hummed tirelessly as if a thousand bees were buzzing together. Arjuna fell upon
his enemies as a ball of fire falls upon a heap of cotton. He scorched, devastated
and wrought havoc upon the Kauravas. But at the back of his mind lurked the
thought that even if he could, he would not want to kill his own teachers.
After he had scattered Bhishma's crescent formation all over the battlefield,
Arjuna thought it was time to invoke the Sammohana Astra, a weapon that had
the power to cast a spell on his enemies. Prince Uttara's eyes almost popped out
as Arjuna unleashed the Sammohana. He saw the entire army of the Kauravas
fall into a trance. Arjuna then asked Uttara to remove the upper garments and
the mantles from the heads of his adversaries as tokens of victory. Uttara
obediently removed the yellow silk dress as well as all the jewels from the mantle
of the mighty Karna.
He thought his sister would like it as a gift. Thereafter, he
took away the silk white upper garment of Kripacharya. Finally, he took off the
blue shawl of Ashwatthama and brought all the spoils of the war to Arjuna. This
was the warrior's way of asserting his victory by stripping his enemies of their
honour.
Arjuna then saluted a half-awake Bhishma from a distance, turned away
from the battlefield and rode with Prince Uttara into the sunset.