sayeth. O thou devoted to virtue, I think there is nothing that can be more agreeable to me.' Then Vidura giving the necessary assurance to the king, went out to do what he was bid. And Drona, endued with great wisdom, then measured out a piece of land that was void of trees and thickets and furnished with wells and springs. And upon the spot of land so measured out, Drona—that first of eloquent men selecting a lunar day when the star ascendant was auspicious, offered up sacrifice unto the gods, in the presence of the citizens assembled by proclamations to witness the same. And then, O thou bull among men, the artificers of the king built thereon a large and elegant stage according to the rules laid down in the scriptures. And it was furnished with all kinds of weapons. And they also built another elegant hall for lady spectators. And the citizens constructed many platfoms, while the wealthier of them pitched many spacious and high tents all around.
"And when the day fixed for the exhibition came, the king accompanied by his ministers, with Bhisma and Kripa the foremost of preceptors, walking ahead, came unto that theatre of almost celestial beauty, constructed of pure gold, and decked with strings of pearls and the lapis lazuli. And, O thou first of victorious men, Gandhari blessed with great good fortune and Kunti, and the other ladies of the royal household in gorgeous attire and accompanied by their waiting-women, joyfully ascended the platforms, like celestial ladies ascending the Sumeru mountain. And the four orders including the Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, desirous of beholding the princes' skill in arms, left the city and came running to that spot. And so impatient was every one to behold the spectacle, that the vast crowd assembled there in almost an instant. And with the noise of blowing trumpets and beating drums and the sound of many voices, that vast concourse became like the agitated ocean.
"At last, Drona accompanied by his son, dressed in white attire, with white sacred thread, white locks, white bread, white garlands, and white sandal paste besmeared over his body, entered the lists. It seemed as if the Moon himself
