I saw all kings, even those of the Vangas and Angas
and Paundras and Odras and Cholas and Dravidas and
Andhakas, and the chiefs of many islands and countries
on the sea-board as also of frontier states, including
the rulers of the Sinhalas, the barbarous mlecchas,
the natives of Lanka, and all the kings of the West
by hundreds, and all the chiefs of the sea-coast,
and the kings of the Pahlavas and the Daradas and the
various tribes of the Kiratas and Yavanas and Sakras
and the Harahunas and Chinas and Tukharas and the
Sindhavas and the Jagudas and the Ramathas and the
Mundas and the inhabitants of the kingdom of women
and the Tanganas and the Kekayas and the Malavas and
the inhabitants of Kasmira, afraid of the prowess
of your weapons, present in obedience to your invitation,
performing various offices,—that prosperity,
O king, so unstable and waiting at present on the
foe, I shall restore to thee, depriving thy foe of
his very life. I shall, O chief of the Kurus,
assisted by Rama and Bhima and Arjuna and the twins
and Akrura and Gada and Shamva and Pradyumna and Ahuka
and the heroic Dhrishtadyumna and the son of Sisupala,
slay in battle in course of a day Duryodhana and Karna
and Dussasana and Suvala’s son and all others
who may fight against us. And thou shalt, O Bharata,
living at Hastinapura along with thy brothers, and
snatching from Dhritarashtra’s party the prosperity
they are enjoying, rule this earth.” Even
these, O king, were Krishna’s words unto Yudhishthira,
who, on the conclusion of Krishna’s speech, addressed
him in that meeting of heroes and in the hearing of
all those brave warriors headed by Dhrishtadyumna,
saying, “O Janardana, I accept these words of
thine as truth. O thou of mighty arms, do thou,
however, slay my enemies along with all their followers
on the expiry of thirteen years. O Kesava, promise
this truly unto me. I promised in the presence
of the king to live in the forest as I am now living.”
Consenting to these words of king Yudhishthira the
just, his counsellors headed by Dhrishtadyumna soon
pacified the incensed Kesava with sweet words and
expressions suitable to the occasion. And they
also said unto Draupadi of pure deeds in the hearing
of Vasudeva himself, these words, “O lady, in
consequence of thy anger, Duryodhana shall lay down
his life. We promise it, O thou of the fairest
complexion. Therefore, grieve no more. O
Krishna, those that mocked thee, beholding thee won
at dice, shall reap the fruit of their act. Beasts
of prey and birds shall eat their flesh, and mock
them thus. Jackals and vultures will drink their
blood. And, O Krishna, thou shalt behold the
bodies of those wretches that dragged thee by the
hair prostrate on the earth, dragged and eaten by
carnivorous animals. They also that gave thee
pain and disregarded thee shall lie on the earth destitute
of their heads, and the earth herself shall drink
their blood.” These and other speeches of
various kinds were uttered there, O king, by those