04023001a te dRSTvA nihatAn sUtAn rAjJe gatvA nyavedayan 'And beholding the sUtas slain, the citizens went to the king, and represented unto him what had happened, saying,
04023001c gandharvair nihatA rAjan sUtaputrAH paraHzatAH 'O king, those mighty sons of the sUtas, more than a hundred, have been slain by the gandharvas.
04023002a yathA vajreNa vai dIrNamM parvatasya mahac chiraH Like huge peak of mountain rent by thunder
04023002c vinikIrNamM pradRzyeta tathA sUtA mahItale would be seen scattered down, so the sUtas on the ground.
04023003a sairandhrI ca vimuktAsau punar AyAti te gRham That sairindhri also, having been set free, returneth to thy palace in the city.
04023003c sarvaM saMzayitaM rAjan nagaranM te bhaviSyati Alas, O king, if Sairindhri cometh, thy entire kingdom will be endangered.
04023004a tathArUpA hi sairandhrI gandharvAz ca mahAbalAH Sairindhri is endued with great beauty; the gandharvas also here exceedingly powerful.
04023004c puMsAm iSTaz ca viSayo maithunAya na saMzayaH ...
04023005a yathA sairandhriveSeNa na te rAjann idamM puram So that the looks of sairandhrI, o king, do not destroy this city,
04023005c vinAzam eti vai kSipranM tathA nItir vidhIyatAm quickly take some measures.
04023006a teSAnM tad vacanaM zrutvA virATo vAhinIpatiH Hearing those words of theirs, virATa, that lord of hosts,
04023006c abravIt kriyatAm eSAM sUtAnAmM paramakriyA said unto them, 'Do ye perform the last rites of the sUtas.
04023007a ekasminn eva te sarve susamiddhe hutAzane Let all, in one blazing pyre,
04023007c dahyantAGM kIcakAzH zIghraM ratnair gandhaiz ca sarvazaH the Kichakas be burnt, with gems and fragrant unguents in profusion.'
04023008a sudeSNAJM cAbravId rAjA mahiSIJM jAtasAdhvasaH And filled with fear, the king then addressed his queen sudeSNA, saying,
04023008c sairandhrIm AgatAmM brUyA mamaiva vacanAd idam 'When Sairindhri comes back, do thou tell her these words from me,
04023009a gaccha sairandhri bhadranM te yathAkAmaJM carAbale 'Blessed be thou, O fair-faced Sairindhri. Go thou whithersoever thou likest.
04023009c bibheti rAjA suzroNi gandharvebhyaH parAbhavAt The king hath been alarmed, O thou of graceful hips, at the defeat already experienced at the hands of the gandharvas.
04023010a na hi tAm utsahe vaktuM svayaGM gandharvarakSitAm Protected as thou art by the gandharvas, I dare not personally say all this to thee.
04023010c striyas tv adoSAs tAM vaktum atas tvAmM prabravImy aham A woman, however, cannot offend, and it is for this that I tell thee all this through a woman.'
04023011a atha muktA bhayAt kRSNA sUtaputrAn nirasya ca 'vaizaMpAyana continued, 'Thus delivered by bhImasena after the slaughter of the sUtas,
04023011c mokSitA bhImasenena jagAma nagaramM prati the intelligent and youthful kRSNA relieved from all her fears, and proceeded towards the city,
04023012a trAsiteva mRgI bAlA zArdUlena manasvinI like a doe frightened by a tiger,
04023012c gAtrANi vAsasI caiva prakSAlya salilena sA after washing her limbs and clothes in water.
04023013a tAnM dRSTvA puruSA rAjan prAdravanta dizo daza And beholding her, the citizens, O king, afflicted with the fear of the gandharvas fled in all directions.
04023013c gandharvANAmM bhayatrastAH ke cid dRSTIr nyamIlayan And some of them went so far as to shut their eyes.
