dhana 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
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 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
(Nelopakhyana 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, over- whelmed 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, 15
