ess 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 bulls of the Bharata
race. All of them are endued with energy and bravery, and marked with the
marks of battle. On the expiration of the thirteenth year, those mighty
warriors, chosen by Yudhishthira