"Some time after, O bull of Bharata's race, Drona, accompanied by all of
his pupils, went to the bank of the Ganga to bathe in that sacred stream.
And when Drona had plunged into the stream, a strong alligator, sent as it
were, by Death himself seized him by the thigh. And though himself quite
capable, Drona in a seeming hurry asked his pupil to rescue him. And he
said, 'O, kill this monster and rescue me.' Contemporaneously with this
speech, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) struck the monster within the water with five
sharp arrows irresistible in their course, while the other pupils stood
confounded, each at his place. Beholding Arjuna's readiness, Drona
considered him to be the foremost of all his pupils, and became highly
pleased. The monster, in the meantime cut into pieces by the arrows of
Arjuna, released the thigh of illustrious Drona and gave up the ghost. The
son of Bharadwaja then addressed the illustrious and mighty car-warrior
Arjuna and said, 'Accept, O thou of mighty arms, this very superior and
irresistible weapon called Brahmasira with the methods of hurling and
recalling it. Thou must not, however, ever use it against any human foe,
for if hurled at any foe endued with inferior energy, it might burn the
whole universe. It is said, O child, that this weapon hath not a peer in
the three worlds. Keep it, therefore, with great care, and listen to what
I say. If ever, O hero, any foe, not human, contendeth against thee thou
mayst then employ it against him for compassing his death in battle.
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