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ministers on both sides met together to see if the undesirable bloodshed could not be avoided in any way. They came to an agreement that it would be quite useless to proceed with the war in the ordinary way. “The brothers themselves," they said, “cannot be killed by any means; they are in their last incarnations in transmigration, and possess bodies which no weapon may mortally wound in warfare! Let them fight out the issue by themselves in other ways." It was decided that they should settle their dispute by means of three kinds of contests, namely, staring (at each other), water-fight, and wrestling.
Bāhubali overcame Bharata in all the three contests, but instead of throwing him down on the ground in the last one (wrestling), he lifted him up on his shoulder and then gently placed him on the ground, out of an affectionate regard for his seniority and rank. This infuriated Bharata all the more, and he immediately possessed himself of the irresistible chakra. The weapon whizzed through empty space like a flash of lightning ; but it did not strike Bāhubali. Instead of striking him, it merely circled round him, and then came to rest in front of him! Bāhubali had won! The explanation of the strange behaviour on the part of the terrible thunderbolt (the chakra) probably, lies in the
This ine reg
weaponted himself or more, and
