friend's abode through the right one. And know, O monarch,
that this also is our eternal vow that having entered the foe's abode for
the accomplishment of our purpose, we accept not the worship offered to
us!"

SECTION XXII

"Jarasandha said,--'I do not recollect if I ever acted injuriously
towards ye! Even upon a careful mental scrutiny I fail to see the injury
I did unto ye. When I have never done ye an injury, why, ye Brahmanas do
ye regard me, who am innocent, as your foe? O, answer me truly, for this,
indeed, is the rule followed by the honest. The mind is pained at the
injury to one's pleasure and morality. That Kshatriya who injures an
innocent man's (sources of) pleasure and morality even if he be otherwise
a great warrior and well-versed in all rules of morality, obtains,
without any doubt the fate of sinners (hereafter) and falls off from
prosperity. The practices of the Kshatriyas are the best of those that
are honest in the three worlds Indeed, those that are acquainted with
morality applaud the Kshatriya practices. Adhering to those practices of
my order with steady soul, I never injure those that are under me. In
bringing this charge, therefore, against me, it appears that ye speak
erroneously!'

"Krishna said,--'O thou of mighty arms, there is a certain person of the
head of a (royal) line who upholdeth the dignity of his race At his
command have we come against thee. Thou hast brought, O king, many of the
Kshatriyas of the world as captives (to thy city.) Having perpetrated
that wicked wrong how dost thou regard thyself as innocent? O best of
monarchs, how can a king act wrongfully towards other virtuous kings? But
thou, O king, treating other kings with cruelty, seekest to offer them as
sacrifice unto the god Rudra! O son of Vrihadratha, this sin committed by
thee may touch even us, for as we are virtuous in our practices, we are
capable of protecting virtue. The slaughter of human being as sacrifice
unto the gods is never seen. Why dost thou, therefore, seek to perform a
sacrifice unto god Sankara by slaughtering human beings? Thou art
addressing persons belonging to thy own order as animals (fit for
sacrifice)! Fool as thou art, who else, O Jarasandha, is capable of
behaving in this way? One always obtaineth the fruits of whatever acts
one performeth under whatever circumstances. Therefore, desirous as we
are of helping all distressed people, we have, for the prosperity of our
race, come hithe