accepted my words thus addressed, the welfare of the Kurus as also virtue itself would both have been secured!  And, O foremost of kings, if he had rejected my gentle counsels offered as medicine, then, O best of the Bharata race, I would have compelled him by force!  And, if those who wait at his court, professing to be his friends but in reality his foes, had supported him, then I would have slain them all, along with those gamblers, there present!  O Kauravya, it is owing to my absence from the Anartta country at that time that thou hast fallen into such distress begot of dice!  O thou best of Kurus, O son of Pandu, on arriving at Dwarka I learnt from Yuyudhana all about thy calamity!  And, O foremost of kings, directly I heard it with a heart sore agitated by grief, have I speedily come here wishing to see thee, O king!  Alas!  O bull of the Bharata race, ye have all fallen into dire distress!  I see thee with thy brothers plunged in misfortune!’”

SECTION XIV

“Yudhishthira said, ’O Krishna, why wert thou absent (from the Anartta country)?  And, O descendant of the Vrishni race, while thou wert away, where didst thou dwell?  And what didst thou do while out of thy kingdom?’

“Krishna said, ’O bull of the Bharata race, I had gone for the purpose of destroying the (arranging) city Salwa.  And, O foremost of the Kauravas, listen to the reasons I had for so doing!  The heroic son of Damaghosha, the well-known king Sisupala of mighty arms and great energy, was slain by me, O best of Bharatas, at thy Rajasuya sacrifice, because that wicked one could not from anger bear to see the first worship offered to me!  Hearing that he had been slain, Salwa, burning with fierce anger, came to Dwaraka, while, O Bharata, it was empty, myself being away, residing with you here.  And having arrived there on a car made of precious metals and hence called the Souva, he had an encounter with the youthful princes of the Vrishni race—­those bulls of that line—­and fought with them mercilessly.  And slaughtering many youthful Vrishnis of heroic valour, the wicked one devastated all the gardens of the city.  And, O thou of mighty arms, he said, “Where is that wretch of the Vrishni race, Vasudeva, the evil-souled son of Vasudeva?  I will humble in battle the pride of that person so eager for fight!  Tell me truly, O Anarttas!  I will go there where he is.  And after killing that slayer of Kansa and Kesi, will I return!  By my weapon I swear that I will not return without slaying him!” And exclaiming repeatedly—­Where is he?  Where is he? the lord of Saubha rusheth to this place and that, desirous of encountering me in battle.  And Salwa also said, “Impelled by wrath for the destruction of Sisupala I shall today send to the mansion of Yama that treacherous miscreant of mean mind.”  And, O king, he further said, “That Janardana shall I slay, who, wretch that he is, hath