The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 135

Section CXXXV. *( Sambhava Parva continued. )* Vaisampayana said, "When everyone had failed, Drona smilingly called Arjuna and said unto him, 'By thee the aim must be shot at; therefore, turn thy eyes to it. Thou must let fly the arrow as soon as I give the order. Therefore, O son, stand here with bow and arrow for an instant.' Thus addressed, Arjuna stood aiming at the bird, as desired by his preceptor, with bow bent. An instant after Drona asked him as in the case of others, 'Seest thou, O Arjuna, the bird there, the tree, and myself?' Arjuna replied, 'I see the bird only, but not the tree or thyself.' Then the irrepressible Drona, well pleased with Arjuna, the instant after, again said unto that mighty charioteer amongst the Pandavas, 'If thou seest the vulture, then describe it to me. And Arjuna said, 'I only see the head of the vulture, not its body. At these words of Arjuna, the down on Drona's body stood on end for delight. And he then said to Partha. 'Shoot thou.' And the latter instantly let fly (his arrow) and with his sharpened shaft speedily struck off the head of the vulture on the tree and brought it to the ground. No sooner was the deed done than Drona clasped Falgoona to his bosom and thought that Drupada with his friends had already-been vanquished in fight. "Sometime after, O thou bull of the Bharata race, Drona, accompanied by all his pupils, went to the banks of the Ganges to bathe in the sacred stream. And when Drona had plunged in the stream, a strong alligator, as if sent by Death himself, seized him about his thigh. And though quite capable himself, Drona asked in seeming hurry his pupils to rescue him. And he said, 'O kill this monster and rescue me,' Contemporaneously with this speech, Vivatsu (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 the illustrious Drona and gave up the ghost. The son of Bharadwaja then addressed the illustrious and mighty charioteer Arjuna and said, 'Accept, O thou of mighty arms, this very superior and irresistible weapon called *Brahma-shira*, 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, then shalt thou employ it against him for compassing his death in battle.' Pledging himself to do what he was bid, Vivatsu then, with joined hands, received that great weapon. The preceptor then, addressing him again, said, 'None else, in this world, will ever become a superior bowman to thee. Vanquished thou shalt never be by any foe, and thy achievements will be great.'" Thus ends the hundred and thirty-fifth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.