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He is the essence of all sacrifices, the sacrifi- cial fire, the sacrificial offerings and Mantras, Sankhya and Yoga; all relate to him. He is the one without a second. Alone, He creates, pre- serves and destroys. By His favor men make various performances and from Him they attain the fruits of those performances. Give the first welcome-offering of respect to that Great Krishna. All beings and even Self shall be honored by this. Krishna is the soul of all be- ings. All differences vanish before him." Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 365 All good people approved of the proposal of Sahadeva. Raja Yudhisthira washed the feet of Krishna and sprinkled the water over his own head and that of his relatives. He then made valuable offerings to him. All people saluted Krishna, saying "Namas" (salutation) and "Jaya" (Victory), and flowers rained over his head. Sisupala could not bear all this. He stood up in the midst of the assembly and thus gave vent to his feelings. "True is the saying that time is hard to overcome. Or how could even old men be led away by the words of a boy? You leaders of the assembly know best what are the relative merits of all. Do not endorse the words of a boy that Krishna deserves to get the first welcome-offering of respect Here are great Rishis, fixed on Brahma, great in asceticism, wisdom and religious practices, adored even by the Lokapalas, their impurities all completely removed by divine per- ception. Overstepping them all, how could this cowherd (Gop4la) boy, the disgrace (pansana) of his family (Kila), deserve to be wor- shipped, as if the crow (Kaka) deserves to get the sacrificial oblation (puroddsa)? (Sridhara explains this Sloka and the following ones as a veiled adoration of Sri Krishna. Gopdla is the protector of Vedas, of the Earth and of others. The word go means the Vedas and the Earth, besides "cow." Kula pansana = Kulapa+ansana. Kulapas are sinners. He who destroys (Ansa) them is Kula pansana. Kaka may be read as compounded with another word in the Sloka, in the form of akaka. Kaka is ka + aka. Ka is happiness, aka is misery. He who has neither happiness nor misery is akaka i.e., one who has got all his de- sires. One who has got all his desires does not only deserve to get the purodasa offering of the Devas but all other offerings. I do not think it necessary to reproduce the double interpretation by Sridhara of the other Slokas, which is continued in the same strain.) He has gone away from his Varna, Asrama and Kula. He is outside all injunctions and duties. He follows his own will. He is void of attributes (Gunas). How can he deserve to be worshipped? King Yayati cursed his line and it is not honored by good people. His clansmen are addicted to unnecessary drinking. How can he deserve to be worshipped? They left the the lands where the Rishis dwell, and made their fort on the Sea; moreover they oppress their subjects like robbers." Sisupala went on in this way and Krishna did not say a word. The 366 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana lion heeds not the jackal’s cry. The members of the Assembly closed their ears and went away, cursing Sisupala in anger. They could not hear the calumny of Bhagavat. For he who hears the calumny of Bhagavat and of those that are devoted to him and does not leave the place goes downwards, deprived of all merits. The sons of Pandu and their allies of Matsya, Kaikaya and Srinjaya, took up arms to kill Sisupala. Sisupala also took his shield and sword and reproved the kings on the side of Krishna. Krishna then rose up and asked his fol- lowers to desist. He cut off the head of Sisupala with the Chakra. A flame like a glowing meteor rose from the body of Sisupala and en- tered Sri Krishna. For three births, Sisupala had constantly followed Vishnu in enmity. By this constant though hostile meditation, he at- tained the state of that he meditated upon. (The readers are reminded here of the story of Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vishnu in Vaikuntha). The Rajasttya sacrifice came to a close. Raja Yudhisthira per- formed the bathing ceremony, enjoined at the close of a sacrifice (av- abhritha). THE SLIGHT OF DURYODHANA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 75. The fame of Yudhisthira went abroad. All sang the glory of the Rajastya sacrifice. Duryodhana became filled with jealousy. One day king Yudhisthira was seated on a golden throne in the assembly hall, prepared by Maya, with Krishna and others around him. The proud Duryodhana, surrounded by his brothers, entered the place with crown on his head and sword in his hand, showering abuse on the gate-keepers and others. He took land to be water and drew up his clothes. He also took water to be land and wet himself. The Maya (Magic), displayed by Maya, in the preparation of the assembly ground, caused this delusion. Bhima laughed, and the females and other kings laughed too, though forbidden by Yudhisthira. Krishna however approved their laughter. Overpowered with shame, with his head cast down, Duryodhana silently left the place and went to Hastinapura. Krishna kept quiet. He wished to relieve the Earth of the weight Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 367 of the Daityas who were oppressing her. It was only His will that Duryodhana should thus be deluded (and the disastrous results would follow). SALVA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 76-77. When Krishna carried away Rukmini, he defeated the kings in battle and, amongst others, he defeated Salva, king of Soubha, the friend of Sisupala. Salva vowed at the time to kill all Yadavas. He ate only a handful of dust and worshipped Siva. After a year Siva became pleased with his worship and asked the king to name a boon. He prayed for an invulnerable chariot that would carry terror to the Yadavas. At the bidding of Siva, Maya prepared an iron chariot, called Soubha, which could move at will to any place. Mounted on this chariot, Salva attacked Dvaraka, with his large army. He threw weapons, stones, trees and serpents from above and demolished walls and gardens. The people of Dvaraka became very much oppressed. Pradyumna and other Yadavas engaged in fight with Salva and his army. Salva’s chariot was sometimes visible and sometimes not. It now rose high and now came low. With difficulty, Pradyumna killed Dyumat, the general of Salva. But still the fight went on for seven days and seven nights. Krishna had been at Hastinapura. He felt mis- givings and hurried to Dvaraka with Rama. The fight was then going on. Krishna placed Rama in charge of the town and himself went to fight with Salva. Salva tauntingly addressed Krishna who gave the king a heavy blow with his club. Salva disappeared. Instantly a man came and informed Krishna that he was a messenger from Devaki. Salva had carried away his father Vasudeva. Krishna asked:—"How could Salva conquer Rama so as to carry away my father?" But he had scarcely finished when Salva appeared with somebody like Vasudeva, saying "O fool, here is your father. I will kill him in your presence. Save him, if you can." He then cut off the head of Vasudeva, and entered the chariot. Krishna found this was all the Maya of Salva and in reality his father was neither carried off nor killed. He broke the chariot Soubha with his club. Salva left the chariot and stood upon earth, club in hand. Krishna cut off his 368 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana hands and then cut off his head with the Chakra. DANTA VAKRA AND VIDURATHA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 78. Danta-Vakra was the friend of Sisupala, Salva and Paundraka. He came to attack Sri Krishna with club in hand and, seeing him, ex- claimed: "It is good fortune, that I see you. You are our cousin. But still you have killed our friends and you now want to kill me. I will therefore kill you with this club." (Sridhara gives a second meaning to this Sloka. At the end of his third birth Danta Vakra was to regain his place in Vaikuntha. Sisupala and Danta Vakra, as explained be- fore, were Jaya and Vijaya, gate-keepers of Vaikuntha. By the curse of the Kumaras, they incarnated as Asuras. The third and last cycle of material ascendancy was to be ended. Jaya and Vijaya were not to incarnate any more. Therefore Danta-Vakra exclaimed that it was his good fortune to meet Krishna and so on). Krishna struck him with his club and killed him. A flame arose from the body of Danta-Vakra, as from that of Sisupala, and it entered Sri Krishna. Viddiratha, the brother of Danta-Vakra was afflicted with grief at the death of his brother. He now attacked Krishna. Krishna cut off his head with the Chakra. BALARAMA AND THE DEATH OF ROMAHARSHANA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 78-79. Balarama heard that the Kurus and Pandavas were making prepa- rations for a mutual fight. He belonged to neither side. So he went out on pretext of a pilgrimage. He went to Prabhasa and performed the ablution ceremonies. He went to several other places and at last reached the Naimisha forest. The Rishis all rose up to receive him. Romaharshana, the disciple of Vyasa, did not leave his seat. He be- longed to the Sita community,—a mixed class, born of Kshatriya fa- ther and Brahmana mother,— but he took his seat higher than that of the Brahmanas. Balarama thought that the Sita had learned the Itihasas, Puranas and all Dharma Sastras from Vy4sa but he had not learned humility and self-control and that he had become proud of Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 369 his wisdom. Balarama cut off his head with the tip of a Kusa grass. The Rishis broke forth into loud cries of lamentation. Addressing Balarama, they said: "O lord! thou hast done a wrong. We gave him this seat of a Brahmana. We gave him age and freedom from fatigue, till the Yajna was completed. Not knowing this, thou hast killed one who was, while on his seat, a Brahmana. Thou art not regulated by the Vedas.