e protected by me, even as it
behoveth thee to protect me! Thinking that the warrior on the car should
always be protected (by his charioteer), I am carrying thee away!
Further, O thou of mighty arms, thou art alone, while the Danavas are
many. Thinking, O son of Rukmini, that thou art not equal to them in the
encounter, I am going away!"'

"Vasudeva continued, 'When the charioteer had spoken thus, he, O
Kauravya, who hath the _makara_ for his mark replied unto him, saying,
"Turn the car! O son of Daruka, never do so again; never, O Suta, turn
thou from the fight, while I am alive! He is no son of the Vrishni race
who forsaketh the field or slayeth the foe fallen at his feet and crying
_I am thine!_ or killeth a woman, a boy, or an old man, or a warrior in
distress, deprived of his car or with his weapons broken! Thou art born
in the race of charioteers and trained to thy craft! And, O son of
Daruka, thou art acquainted with the customs of the Vrishnis in battle!
Versed as thou art with all the customs of the Vrishnis in battle, do
thou, O Suta, never again fly from the field as thou hast done! What
will the irrepressible Madhava, the elder brother of Gada, say to me
when he heareth that I have left the field of battle in bewilderment or
that I have been struck on the back--a run-away from the combat! What
will the elder brother of Kesava, the mighty-armed Baladeva, clad in
blue and inebriate with wine, say, when he returneth? What also, O Suta,
will that lion among men, the grand-son of Sini (Satyaki), that great
warrior, say on hearing that I have forsaken the fight? And, O
charioteer, what will the ever-victorious Shamva, the irrepressible
Charudeshna. and Gada, and Sarana, and Akrura also of mighty arms, say
unto me! What also will the wives of the Vrishni heroes when they meet
together, say of me who had hitherto been considered as brave and
well-conducted, respectable and possessed of manly pride? They will even
say _This Pradyumna is a coward who cometh here, leaving the battle! Fie
on him!_ They will never say, _Well done!_ Ridicule, with exclamation of
_Fie_, is to me or a person like me, O Suta, more than death! Therefore,
do thou never again leave the field of battle! Reposing the charge on
me, Hari the slayer of Madhu, hath gone to the sacrifice of the Bharata
lion (Yudhishthira)! Therefore, I cannot bear to be quiet now! O Suta,
when the brave Kritavarman was sallying out to encounter Salwa, I
prevented him