and headed by Vasudeva, will come (to
the field of battle). Rama and Krishna and Dhananjaya and Pradyumna and
Shamva and Yuyudhana and Bhima and the sons of Madri and the Kekaya
princes and the Panchala princes, accompanied by the king of Matsya,
these all, illustrious and celebrated and invincible heroes, with their
followers and troops, will come. Who is there that, desiring to live,
will encounter these in battle, resembling angry lions of erect manes?'

"Dhritarashtra said, "What Vidura told me at the time of the game at
dice, 'If thou seekest, O king, to vanquish the Pandavas (at dice), then
certainly a terrible blood-shed ending in the destruction of all the
Kurus will be the result,' I think it is about to be realised. As Vidura
told me of old, without doubt a terrible battle will take place, as soon
as the pledged period of the Pandavas expireth.'"

SECTION LII

(Nalopakhyana Parva)

Janamejaya said, "When the high-souled Partha went to Indra's region for
obtaining weapons, what did Yudhishthira and the other sons of Pandu do?"

Vaisampayana said, "When the high-souled Partha went to Indra's region
for obtaining weapons, those bulls of the Bharata race continued to dwell
with Krishna in (the woods of) Kamyaka. One day, those foremost of the
Bharatas, afflicted with grief, were seated with Krishna on a clean and
solitary sward. Grieving for Dhananjaya, overwhelmed with sorrow, their
voices were choked with weeping. Tortured by Dhananjaya's absence, grief
afflicted them equally. And filled with sorrow at their separation from
Arjuna and at the loss of their kingdom, the mighty-armed Bhima among
them addressed Yudhishthira, saying, "That Bull of the Bharata race,
Arjuna, O great king, on whom depend the lives of Pandu's sons, and on
whose death the Panchalas as also ourselves with our sons and Satyaki and
Vasudeva are sure to die, hath gone away at thy behest. What can be
sadder than this that the virtuous Vibhatsu hath gone away at thy
command, thinking of his many griefs? Depending upon the might of that
illustrious hero's arms, regard our foes as already vanquished in battle,
and the whole earth itself as already acquired by us. It was for the sake
of that mighty warrior that I refrained from sending to the other world
all the Dhartarashtras along with the Suvalas, in the midst of the
assembly. Gifted with might of arms, and supported by Vasudeva, we have
to suppress the wrath that hath been roused in us