t evils! If he had accepted my words
thus addressed, the welfare of the Kurus as also virtue itself would
both have been secured! And, O foremost of kings, if he had rejected my
gentle counsels offered as medicine, then, O best of the Bharata race, I
would have compelled him by force! And, if those who wait at his court,
professing to be his friends but in reality his foes, had supported him,
then I would have slain them all, along with those gamblers, there
present! O Kauravya, it is owing to my absence from the _Anartta_
country at that time that thou hast fallen into such distress begot of
dice! O thou best of Kurus, O son of Pandu, on arriving at Dwarka I
learnt from Yuyudhana all about thy calamity! And, O foremost of kings,
directly I heard it with a heart sore agitated by grief, have I speedily
come here wishing to see thee, O king! Alas! O bull of the Bharata race,
ye have all fallen into dire distress! I see thee with thy brothers
plunged in misfortune!'"

SECTION XIV

"Yudhishthira said, 'O Krishna, why wert thou absent (from the Anartta
country)? And, O descendant of the Vrishni race, while thou wert away,
where didst thou dwell? And what didst thou do while out of thy
kingdom?'

"Krishna said, 'O bull of the Bharata race, I had gone for the purpose
of destroying the (arranging) city Salwa. And, O foremost of the
Kauravas, listen to the reasons I had for so doing! The heroic son of
Damaghosha, the well-known king Sisupala of mighty arms and great
energy, was slain by me, O best of Bharatas, at thy _Rajasuya_
sacrifice, because that wicked one could not from anger bear to see the
first worship offered to me! Hearing that he had been slain, Salwa,
burning with fierce anger, came to Dwaraka, while, O Bharata, it was
empty, myself being away, residing with you here. And having arrived
there on a car made of precious metals and hence called the _Souva_, he
had an encounter with the youthful princes of the Vrishni race--those
bulls of that line--and fought with them mercilessly. And slaughtering
many youthful Vrishnis of heroic valour, the wicked one devastated all
the gardens of the city. And, O thou of mighty arms, he said, "Where is
that wretch of the Vrishni race, Vasudeva, the evil-souled son of
Vasudeva? I will humble in battle the pride of that person so eager for
fight! Tell me truly, _O Anarttas_! I will go there where he is. And
after killing that slayer of Kansa and Kesi, will I return! By my weapon