Vaisampayana continued, "Having said this unto Virata's son, that best of men and foremost of car-warriors, the mighty-armed Arjuna, again addressed the son of Virata, saying. 'Take me without delay to the van of Bhishma's division. I will cut off his very bow-string in the battle. Thou shalt behold today the celestial weapons of blazing beauty, shot by me, look like flashes of lightning disporting amid the clouds in the sky. The Kauravas shall behold the gold decked back of my _Gandiva_ today, and assembled together the foe shall dispute, saying,--_By which hand of his, the right or the left, doth he shoot_? And I shall cause a dreadful river (of death) to flow today towards the other world with blood for its waters and cars for its eddies, and elephants for its crocodiles. I shall today, with my straight arrows, extirpate the _Kuru_ forest having hands and feet and heads and backs and arms for the branches of its trees. Alone, bow in hand, vanquishing the Kuru host, a hundred paths shall open before me like those of a forest in conflagration. Struck by me thou shalt today behold the Kuru army moving round and round like a wheel (unable to fly off the field). I shall show thee today my excellent training in arrows and weapons. Stay thou on my car firmly, whether the ground be smooth or uneven. I can pierce with my winged arrows even the mountain of _Sumeru_ that stands touching the very heavens. I slew of old, at Indra's command, hundreds and thousands of _Paulomas_ and _Kalakhanjas_ in battle. I have obtained my firmness of grasp from Indra, and my lightness of hand from _Brahman_, and I have learnt various modes of fierce attack and defence amid crowds of foes from _Prajapati_. I vanquished, on the other side of the great ocean, sixty thousands of car-warriors--all fierce archers--residing in _Hiranyapura_. Behold, now I defeat the multitudinous host of the Kurus like a tempest scattering a heap of cotton. With my fiery arrows I shall today set the _Kuru_-forest to fire, having banners for its trees, the foot-soldiers for its shrubs, and the car-warriors for its beasts of prey. Like unto the wielder of the thunderbolt overthrowing the Danavas, alone I shall, with my straight arrows, bring down from the chambers of their cars the mighty warrior of the Kuru army stationed therein and struggling in the conflict to the best of their power. I have obtained from _Rudra_ the _Raudra_, from _Varuna_ the _Varuna_, from _Agni_ the _Agneya_, from the god of Wind the _Vayava_, and from Sakra the thunderbolt and other weapons. I shall certainly exterminate the fierce _Dhartarashtra-forest_ though protected by many leonine warriors. Therefore, O Virata's son, let thy fears be dispelled.'"