Chapter 81

“Sanjaya said, ‘Then king Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, salutingDevaki’s son Janardana, and cheerfully addressed him saying ‘Hast thoupassed the night happily, O slayer of Madhu? Are all thy perceptionsclear, O thou of unfading glory? Vasudeva also made similar enquiries ofYudhishthira. Then the orderly came and represented that the otherKshatriya warriors were waiting to be introduced. Commanded by the king,the man introduced that concourse of heroes, consisting of Virata andBhimasena and Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki, and Dhrishtaketu, the ruler ofthe Chedis, and the mighty car-warriors, Drupada, and Sikhandin, and thetwins (Nakula and Sahadeva), and Chekitana, and the ruler of theKalikayas, and Yuyutsu, of Kuru’s race, and Uttamaujas of the Panchalas,’and Yudhamanyu, and Suvahu, and the (five) sons of Draupadi. These andmany other Kshatriyas, approaching that high-souled bull among theKshatriyas, sat down on excellent seats. Those mighty and high-souledheroes of great splendour viz., Krishna and Yuyudhana, both sat on thesame seat. Then in the hearing of them all, Yudhishthira addressing thelotus-eyed slayer of Madhu, and said unto him these sweet words: ‘Relyingon thee alone, we, like the celestial one, the deity of a thousand eyes,seek, victory in battle and eternal happiness. Thou art aware, O Krishna,of the deprivation of our kingdom, our exile at the hands of the foe, andall our diverse woes. O lord of all, O thou that art compassionate untothose that are devoted to thee, upon thee wholly rests the happiness ofus all and our very existence, O slayer of Madhu! O thou of Vrishni’srace, do that by which my heart may ever rest on thee! Do also that, OLord, by which the proposed vow of Arjuna may be realised. O, rescue ustoday from this ocean of grief and rage. O Madhava, become thou today aboat unto us that are desirous of crossing (that ocean). The car-warriorsdesirous of slaying the foe cannot, in battle, do that (for the successof his object) which, O Krishna, the car-driver can do, if he exertshimself carefully. O Janardana, as thou always savest the Vrishnis in allcalamities, even so it behoveth thee to save us from this distress, Omighty-armed one! O bearer of the conch, discus, and mace, rescue thesons of Pandu sunk in the fathomless and boatless Kuru-ocean, by becominga boat unto them. I bow to thee, O God of the lord of the gods, O thouthat art eternal, O supreme Destroyer, O Vishnu, O Jishnu, O Hari, OKrishna, O Vaikuntha, O best of mate beings! Narada described thee asthat ancient and best of Rishis (called Narayana) that giveth boons, thatbeareth the bow Saranga, and that is the foremost of all. O Madhava, makethose words true. Thus addressed in the midst of that assembly by kingYudhishthira the just, Kesava, that foremost of speakers, replied untoYudhishthira in a voice deep as that of clouds charged with rain, saying,’In all the worlds including that of the celestials, there is no bowmanequal to Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha! Possessed of great energy.accomplished in weapons, of great prowess and great strength, celebratedin battle, ever wrathful, and of great energy, Arjuna is the foremost ofmen. Youthful in years bull-necked, and of long arms, he is endued withgreat strength. Treading like a lion or a bull, and exceedingly beautifulhe will slay all thy foes. As regards myself, I will do that by whichArjuna, the son of Kunti, may be able to consume the troops ofDhritarashtra’s son like a swelling conflagration. This very day, Arjunawill, by his arrows despatch that vile wretch of sinful deeds, thatslayer of Subhadra’s son, (viz., Jayadratha), to that road from which notraveller comes back. Today vultures and hawks and furious jackals andother carnivorous creatures will feed on his flesh. O Yudhishthira, ifeven all the gods with Indra become his protectors today, Jayadratha willstill, slain in the thick of battle, repair to Yama’s capital. Havingslain the ruler of the Sindhus, Jishnu will come to thee (in theevening). Dispel thy grief and the fever (of thy heart), O king, and bethou graced with prosperity.'”