the ascetic penances of Yajnasena’s daughter!  Those wicked-hearted sons of king Dhritarashtra who had called us ’Sesame seeds without kernel,’ have all been slain by us with their relatives and followers!  It matters little whether (as a consequence of those deeds) we go to heaven or fall into hell!” Once more, uplifting the mace that lay on his shoulders, he struck with his left foot the head of the monarch who was prostrate on the earth, and addressing the deceitful Duryodhana, said these words.  Many of the foremost warriors among the Somakas, who were all of righteous souls, beholding the foot of the rejoicing Bhimasena of narrow heart placed upon the head of that foremost one of Kuru’s race, did not at all approve of it.  While Vrikodara, after having struck down thy son, was thus bragging and dancing madly, king Yudhishthira addressed him, saying, “Thou hast paid off thy hostility (towards Duryodhana) and accomplished thy vow by a fair or an unfair act!  Cease now, O Bhima!  Do not crush his head with thy foot!  Do not act sinfully!  Duryodhana is a king!  He is, again, thy kinsman!  He is fallen!  This conduct of thine, O sinless one, is not proper.  Duryodhana was the lord of eleven Akshauhinis of troops.  He was the king of the Kurus.  Do not, O Bhima, touch a king and a kinsman with thy foot.  His kinsmen are slain.  His friends and counsellors are gone.  His troops have been exterminated.  He has been struck down in battle.  He is to be pitied in every respect.  He deserves not to be insulted, for remember that he is a king.  He is ruined.  His friends and kinsmen have been slain.  His brothers have been killed.  His sons too have been slain.  His funeral cake hath been taken away.  He is our brother.  This that thou doest unto him is not proper.  ‘Bhimasena is a man of righteous behaviour’:  people used to say this before of thee!  Why then, O Bhimasena, dost thou insult the king in this way?” Having said these words unto Bhimasena, Yudhishthira, with voice choked in tears, and afflicted with grief, approached Duryodhana, that chastiser of foes, and said unto him, “O sire, thou shouldst not give way to anger nor grieve for thyself.  Without doubt thou bearest the dreadful consequences of thy own former acts.  Without doubt this sad and woeful result had been ordained by the Creator himself, that we should injure thee and thou shouldst injure us, O foremost one of Kuru’s race!  Through thy own fault this great calamity has come upon thee, due to avarice and pride and folly, O Bharata!  Having caused thy companions and brothers and sires and sons and grandsons and others to be all slain, thou comest now by thy own death.  In consequence of thy fault, thy brothers, mighty car-warriors all, and thy kinsmen have been slain by us.  I think all this to be the work of irresistible Destiny.  Thou art not to be pitied.  On the other hand, thy death, O sinless one, is enviable.  It is we that deserve to be pitied in every respect, O Kaurava!  We shall have to drag on a miserable existence, reft