behind thee.  I myself, with all the Andhakas and the Vrishnis, will walk behind thee.  Indeed, all the Dasarhas and the Dasarnas, will, O king, be numbered with thy relatives.  Enjoy the sovereignty of the earth, O thou of mighty arms, with thy brothers the Pandavas, with yapas and homas and auspicious rites of diverse kinds performed in thy honour.  Let the Dravidas, with the Kuntalas, the Andhras, and the Talacharas, and the Shuchupas, and the Venupas, all walk before thee.  Let chanters and panegyrists praise thee with innumerable laudatory hymns.  Let the Pandavas proclaim,—­Victory to Vasusena.  Surrounded by the Pandavas, like the moon by the stars, rule thou the kingdom, O son of Kunti, and gladden Kunti herself.  Let thy friends rejoice, and thy enemies grieve.  Let there be, this day, a brotherly union between thee and thy brothers, the sons of Pandu.”

SECTION CXLI

“Karna said, ’Without doubt, O Kesava, thou hast said these words from thy love, affection, and friendship for me, as also in consequence of thy desire of doing me good, O thou of Vrishni’s race.  I know all that thou hast said unto me.  Morally, I am the son of Pandu, as also in consequence of the injunctions of the scriptures, as thou, O Krishna, thinkest.  My mother, while a maiden, bore me in her womb, O Janardana, through her connection with Surya.  And at the command of Surya himself, she abandoned me as soon as I was born.  Even thus, O Krishna, I came into the world.  Morally, therefore, I am the son of Pandu.  Kunti, however, abandoned me without thinking of my welfare.  The Suta, Adhiratha, as soon as he beheld me, took me to his home, and from her affection for me, Radha’s breasts were filled with milk that very day, and she, O Madhava, cleansed my urine and evacuations.  How can one like us, conversant with duties and ever engaged in listening to scriptures deprive her of her Pinda?  So also Adhiratha of the Suta class regardeth me as a son, and I too, from affection, always regard him as (my) father.  O Madhava, that Adhiratha, O Janardana, from paternal affection caused all the rites of infancy to be performed on my person, according to the rules prescribed in the scriptures.  It is that Adhiratha, again, who caused the name Vasusena to be bestowed upon me by the Brahmanas.  When also I attained to youth, I married wives according to his selections.  Through them have been born my sons and grandsons, O Janardana.  My heart also, O Krishna, and all the bonds of affection and love, are fixed on them.  From joy or fear.  O Govinda.  I cannot venture to destroy those bonds even for the sake of the whole earth or heaps of gold.  In consequence also of my connection with Duryodhana of Dhritarashtra’s race, I have, O Krishna, enjoyed sovereignty for thirteen years, without a thorn on my side.  I have performed many sacrifices, always however in connection with persons of the Suta tribe.  All my family rites