Have read the one by C.R many many times now. Fell in love with
Arjuna after reading C.R's version. Every now and then I find myself
turning back to the episode when the six of them had to spend a year
incognito and they choose King Virata's palace. Prince Uttara prepares to
face the mighty Kauravas (the likes of Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Aswattama)
all by himself. Sairandhri (Draupadi in disguise) suggests Brihannala
(Arjuna in disguise) as his charioteer. Prince Uttara agrees, amused at
the idea of a eunuch being his charioteer.
Uttara sees the Kaurava army in full glory; he starts to panic and wants to back out. At this point, Brihannala reassures him telling him that he knows the place where the mighty Pandavas had their weapons hidden and takes him there. Once the Gandiva is out, Arjuna strings the bow and twangs it thrice. The twangs were enough for the Kaurava soldiers to tremble in fear. Duryodhana is actually happy because he thinks that he thinks that Arjuna had revealed himself before the end of the thirteenth year (which means they had to spend another 12 years in exile and 1 year incognito).
Bhishma and Drona ask Duryodhana to get away from the battlefield with the cows seized from Virata's kingdom (which would have meant victory for him) while they stay and contain Arjuna --- Duryodhana gets away. Arjuna sees him running away with the cows and goes after him defeating everybody (including Karna) in his way (also managing to send a few arrows to touch Dronacharya to show his respect for his teacher). Then, Arjuna completely embarrasses Duryodhana in the battlefield giving him a foreboding of things to come.
R.K.N's version of this episode is a little brief. But there are other places where he manages to put in a lot more words. More on that to follow!!!
