Arjuna Prepares to Display Celestial Weapons
Yudhishthira asks Arjuna to show the celestial weapons he obtained from the gods. Arjuna seats himself on the earth as his chariot, grasps Gandiva and Devadatta, and prepares to employ the divine weapons one after another — but the mere preparation causes the earth to tremble, mountains to split, and the sun to darken, drawing all beings and the gods themselves to the scene in alarm.
When the night had passed, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira awoke and performed the necessary rituals together with his brothers. Then he turned to Arjuna.
"Show us the weapons with which you destroyed the danavas."
Arjuna agreed. He established himself in supreme purity — purifying his body and mind, preparing himself for what he was about to do. Then he seated himself on the earth itself, using it as his chariot. The trees on the mountain were its axles, the beautiful bamboos its spokes. He looked resplendent in his bright armour. He grasped the bow Gandiva and the conch shell Devadatta, born from the waters.
In that radiance, the mighty-armed Kounteya prepared to show those divine weapons, one after the other.
As he got ready to employ them, the earth and all its trees began to tremble under his feet. The rivers and the great ocean began to tremble. The mountains were rent asunder. The winds stopped blowing. The one with the thousand rays — the sun — stopped shining. The fires stopped burning. The Vedas were no longer manifest to those who were twice-born.
The beings that lived in the interiors of the earth were oppressed. All of them trembled and emerged. Covering their faces, they joined their hands in salutation and surrounded the Pandava. Burnt by those weapons, they prayed to Dhananjaya.
The brahmarshis (sages), the siddhas (perfected beings), the maharshis (great sages) and all mobile beings stood there. So did supreme rajarshis (royal sages), gods, yakshas, rakshasas, gandharvas (celestial musicians) and birds. The grandfather — Brahma himself — arrived, together with all the lokapalas (guardians of the directions), and the illustrious Mahadeva, with all his companions.
Vayu, the wind god, covered Pandava with colourful, fragrant and divine flowers from every side. Instructed by the gods, the gandharvas sang many songs. Masses of apsaras (celestial dancers) began to dance there.
At that tumultuous time, instructed by the gods, Narada arrived. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 469