of the
curly hair; and spoke words of solace to the daughter of Drupada. And
the descendant of the chief of the Dasaraha tribe, that chastiser of
foes, when he saw the beloved Arjuna come near him, having seen him
after a length of time, clasped him again and again. And so too
Satyabhama also, the beloved consort of Krishna, embraced the daughter
of Drupada, the beloved wife of the sons of Pandu. Then these sons of
Pandu, accompanied by their wife and priests, paid their respects to
Krishna, whose eyes resembled the white lotus and surrounded him on all
sides. And Krishna, when united with Arjuna, the son of Pritha, the
winner of riches and the terror of the demons assumed a beauty
comparable to that of _Siva_, the magnanimous lord of all created
beings, when he, the mighty lord, is united with Kartikeya (his son).
And Arjuna, who bore a circlet of crowns on his head, gave an account of
what had happened to him in the forest to Krishna, the elder brother of
Gada. And Arjuna asked, saying, 'How is Subhadra, and her son
Abhimanyu?' And Krishna, the slayer of Madhu, having paid his respects
in the prescribed form to the son of Pritha, and to the priest, and
seating himself with them there, spoke to king Yudhishthira, in words of
praise. And he said, 'O king, Virtue is preferable to the winning of
kingdoms; it is, in fact, practice of austerities! By you who have
obeyed with truth and candour what your duty prescribed, have been won
both this world and that to come! First you have studied, while
performing religious duties; having acquired in a suitable way the whole
science of arms, having won wealth by pursuing the methods prescribed
for the military caste, you have celebrated all the time-honoured
sacrificial rites. You take no delight in sensual pleasures; you do not
act, O lord of men, from motives of enjoyment, nor do you swerve from
virtue from greed of riches; it is for this, you have been named the
Virtuous King, O son of Pritha! Having won kingdoms and riches and means
of enjoyment, your best delight has been charity and truth and practice
of austerities, O King, and faith and meditation and forbearance and
patience! When the population of Kuru-jangala beheld Krishna outraged in
the assembly hall, who but yourself could brook that conduct, O Pandu's
son, which was so repugnant both to virtue and usage? No doubt, you
will, before long, rule over men in a praiseworthy way, all your desires
being fulfilled. Here are