Those heroes then fearlessly assisted at
the conflagration of the forest. Arjuna scattered the celestials like the
wind scattering the clouds, and slew with showers of his arrows,
numberless creatures that dwelt in Khandava. Cut off by Arjuna's arrows,
no one amongst the innumerable creatures could escape from the burning
forest. Far from fighting with him, none amongst even the strongest
creatures mustered there could look at Arjuna whose weapons were never
futile. Sometimes piercing hundred creatures with one shaft and sometimes
a single creature with hundred shafts, Arjuna moved about in his car. The
creatures themselves, deprived of life, began to fall into the mouth of
Agni (god of fire), struck down as it were by death itself. On the banks
of rivers or on uneven plains or on crematoriums, go where they did, the
creatures (dwelling in Khandava) found no ease, for wherever they sought
shelter there they were afflicted by the heat. And hosts of creatures
roared in pain, and elephants and deer and wolves set up cries of
affliction. At that sound the fishes of the Ganges and the sea, and the
various tribes of Vidyadharas dwelling in that forest all became
frightened. O thou of mighty arms, let alone battling with them, no one,
could even gaze at Arjuna and Janardana of dark hue. Hari slew with his
discus those Rakshasas and Danavas and Nagas that rushed at him in bands.
Of huge bodies, their heads and trunks were cut off by the swift motion of
the discus, and deprived of life they fell down into the blazing fire.
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