" said,--'behold, O , the great capital of Magadha, standing in all its beauty. Filled with flocks and herds and its stock of water never exhausted, and adorned also with fine mansions standing in excellent array, it is free from every kind of calamity. The five large hills of Vaihara, Varaha, Vrishava, Rishigiri, and the delightful Chaitya, all of high peaks and overgrown with tall trees of cool shade and connected with one another, seem to be jointly protecting the city of Girivraja. The breasts of the hills are concealed by forests of delightful and fragrant Lodhras having the ends of their branches covered with flowers. It was here that the illustrious Gautama of rigid vows begat on the Sudra woman Ausinari (the daughter of Usinara) Kakshivat and other celebrated sons. That the race sprung from Gautama doth does yet live under the sway of an ordinary human race (of monarchs) is only evidence of Gautama's kindness to kings. And, O , it was here that in olden times the mighty monarchs of Anga, and Vanga and other countries, came to the abode of Gautama, and passed their days in joy and happiness. Behold, O , those forests of delightful Pippalas and beautiful Lodhras standing near the side of Gautama's abode. There dwelt in old days those Nagas, Arvuda and Sakravapin, those persecutors of all enemies, as also the Naga Swastika and that other excellent Naga called Manu. himself had ordered the country of the Magadhas to be never afflicted with drought, and Kaushika and Manimat also have favoured the country. Owning such a delightful and impregnable city, is ever bent on seeking the fruition of his purposes unlike other monarchs. We shall, however, by slaying him to-day humble his pride."
said,--Thus saying those brothers of abundant energy, viz., he of the Vrishni race and the two Pandavas entered the city of Magadha. They then approached towards the impregnable city of Girivraja that was full of cheerful and well-fed inhabitants belonging to all the four orders, and where festivities were perennial. On arriving then at the gate of the city, the brothers (instead of passing through it) began to pierce (with their shafts) the heart of the high Chaityaka peak that was worshipped by the race of , as also by the citizens and which delighted the hearts of all the Magadhas. There had slain a cannibal called Rishava and having slain the monster made of his hide three drums which he placed in his own city. And those drums were such that once beaten their sound lasted one full month. And the brothers broke down the Chaityaka peak that was delightful to all the Magadhas, at that point where those drums covered with celestial flowers used to yield their continuous sound. And desirous of slaying they seemed by that act of theirs to place their feet upon the head of their foe. And attacking with their mighty arms that immovable and huge and high and old and celebrated peak always worshipped with perfumes and floral wreaths, those heroes broke it down. And with joyful hearts they then entered the city. And it so happened that the learned Brahmanas residing within the city saw many evil omens which they reported to . And the priest making the king mount an elephant whirled lighted brands about him. And king also, possessed of great prowess, with a view to warding of those evils, entered upon the celebration of a sacrifice, with proper vows and fasts. Meanwhile, O Bharata, the brothers unarmed, or rather with their bare arms as their only weapons, desirous of fighting with , entered the capital in the guise of Brahmanas. They beheld the extraordinary beauty of the shops full of various edibles and floral wreaths, and supplied with articles of every variety of various qualities that man can desire. Those best of men, , , and , beholding in those shops their affluence, passed along the public road. And endued with great strength they snatched forcibly from the flower-vendors the garlands they had exposed for sale. And attired in robes of various colours and decked in garlands and ear-rings the heroes entered the abode of possessed of great intelligence, like Himalayan lions eyeing cattle-folds. And the arms of those warriors, O king, besmeared with sandal paste, looked like the trunks of sala trees. The people of Magadha, beholding those heroes looking like elephants, with necks broad like those of trees and wide chests, began to wonder much. Those bull among men, passing through three gates that were crowded with men, proudly and cheerfully approached the king. And rising up in haste received them with water to wash their feet with, and honey and the other ingredients of the Arghya--with gifts of kine, and with other forms of respect. The great king addressing them said,--'Ye you are welcome'! And, O , both and remained silent at this. And addressing the monarch said,--'O king of kings these two are now in the observance of a vow. Therefore they will not speak. Silent they will remain till midnight After that hour they will speak with thee you!' The king then quartering his guests in the sacrificial apartments retired into his private chambers. And when midnight arrived, the monarch arrived at the place where his guests attired as Brahmanas were. For, O King, that ever victorious monarch observed this vow which was known throughout the Worlds that as soon as he should hear of the arrival of Snataka Brahmanas at his place, should it be even at midnight, he would immediately, O Bharata, come out and grant them an audience. Beholding the strange attire of his guests that best of kings wondered much. For all that, however, he waited on them respectfully. Those bulls among men, those slayers of all foes, on the other hand, O thou you best of the Bharata race, beholding king , said,--'Let salvation be attained by thee you, O king, without difficulty.' And, O tiger among kings, having said this unto to the monarch, they stood looking at each other. And, O king of kings, then said unto to those sons of and him of the race, all disguised as Brahmanas--'Take your seats.' And those bulls among men sat themselves down, and like the three priests of a great sacrifice blazed forth in their beauty. And king , O thou you of the Kuru race, firmly devoted to truth, censuring the disguised guests, said unto to them,--'It is well known to me that in the whole world Brahmanas in the observance of Snataka vow never deck their persons with garlands and fragrant paste unseasonably. Who are ye you, therefore, thus decked with flowers, and with hands bearing the marks of the bow-string? Attired in coloured robes and decked unseasonably with flowers and paste, ye you give me to understand that ye you are Brahmanas, although ye you bear Kshatriya energy. Tell me truly who ye you are. Truth decks even kings. Breaking down the peak of the Chaityaka hill, why have ye you, in disguise, entered (the city) by an improper gate without fear of the royal wrath? The energy of a Brahmana dwelleth dwells in his speech, (not in act). This your feat is not suited to the order to which ye you profess to belong. Tell us therefore, the end ye you have in view. Arrived here by such an improper way, why accept ye you not the worship I offer? What is your motive for coming to me? Thus addressed by the king, the high-souled , well-skilled in speech, thus replied unto to the monarch in a calm and grave voice.
" said,--'O king, know us for Snataka Brahmanas. Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are all, O monarch, competent to observe the vow of Snataka. This vow, besides, hath has (many) especial and general rules. A Kshatriya observing this vow with especial rules always achieve prosperity. Therefore, have we decked ourselves with flowers. Kshatriyas again, O king, exhibit their energy by their arms and not in speech. It is, therefore, O son of , that the speeches uttered by a Kshatriya are never audacious. O monarch, hath has planted his own energy in the aim of the Kshatriya. If thou you wishest wish to behold it, thou you shalt shall certainly behold it today. These are the rules of the ordinance, viz., that an enemy's abode should be entered through a wrong gate and a friend's abode through the right one. And know, O monarch, that this also is our eternal vow that having entered the foe's abode for the accomplishment of our purpose, we accept not the worship offered to us!"
" said,--'I do not recollect if I ever acted injuriously towards ye you! Even upon a careful mental scrutiny I fail to see the injury I did unto to ye you. When I have never done ye you an injury, why, ye you Brahmanas do ye you regard me, who am innocent, as your foe? O, answer me truly, for this, indeed, is the rule followed by the honest. The mind is pained at the injury to one's pleasure and morality. That Kshatriya who injures an innocent man's (sources of) pleasure and morality even if he be otherwise a great warrior and well-versed in all rules of morality, obtains, without any doubt the fate of sinners (hereafter) and falls off from prosperity. The practices of the Kshatriyas are the best of those that are honest in the three worlds Indeed, those that are acquainted with morality applaud the Kshatriya practices. Adhering to those practices of my order with steady soul, I never injure those that are under me. In bringing this charge, therefore, against me, it appears that ye you speak erroneously!'
" said,--'O thou you of mighty arms, there is a certain person of the head of a (royal) line who upholdeth upholds the dignity of his race At his command have we come against thee you. Thou you hast have brought, O king, many of the Kshatriyas of the world as captives (to thy your city.) Having perpetrated that wicked wrong how dost do thou you regard thyself as innocent? O best of monarchs, how can a king act wrongfully towards other virtuous kings? But thou you, O king, treating other kings with cruelty, seekest seek to offer them as sacrifice unto to the god ! O son of , this sin committed by thee you may touch even us, for as we are virtuous in our practices, we are capable of protecting virtue. The slaughter of human being as sacrifice unto to the gods is never seen. Why dost do thou you, therefore, seek to perform a sacrifice unto to god by slaughtering human beings? Thou you art addressing persons belonging to thy your own order as animals (fit for sacrifice)! Fool as thou you art, who else, O , is capable of behaving in this way? One always obtaineth obtains the fruits of whatever acts one performeth performs under whatever circumstances. Therefore, desirous as we are of helping all distressed people, we have, for the prosperity of our race, come hither here to slay thee you, the slaughterer of our relatives. Thou you thinkest think that there is no man among the Kshatriyas (equal to thee you). This, O king, is a great error of judgment on thy your part. What Kshatriya is there, O king, who endued with greatness of soul and recollecting the dignity of his own parentage, would not ascend to eternal heaven that hath has not its like anywhere, falling in open fight? Know O bull among men, that Kshatriyas engage themselves in battle, as persons installed in sacrifices, with heaven in view, and vanquish the whole world! Study of the Vedas, great fame, ascetic penances, and death in battle, are all acts that lead to heaven. The attainment of heaven by the three other acts may be uncertain, but death in battle hath has that for its certain consequence. Death in battle is the sure cause of triumph like 's. It is graced by numerous merits. It is for this reason that he of a hundred sacrifices () hath has become what he is, and by vanquishing the Asuras he ruleth rules the universe. Hostility with whom else than thee you is so sure of leading to heaven, proud as thou you art of the excessive strength of thy your vast Magadha host? Don't disregard others, O king. Valour dwelleth dwells in every man. O king of men, there are many men whose valour may be equal or superior to thine yours. As long as these are not known, so long only art thou you noted for thy your valour. Thy your prowess, O king, can be borne by us. It is, therefore, that I say so. O , cast off thy your superiority and pride in the presence of those that are thy your equals. Go not, O king, with thy your children and ministers and army, into the regions of . Damvodhava, Kartavirya, Uttara, and , were kings that met with destruction, along with all their forces, for having disregarded their superiors. Desirous of liberating the captive monarchs from thee you, know that we are certainly not Brahmanas. I am Hrishesha otherwise called , and these two heroes among men are the sons of . O , we challenge thee you. Fight standing before us. Either set free all the monarchs, or go thou you to the abode of .
" said,--'I never make a captive of a king without first vanquishing him. Who hath has been kept here that hath has not been defeated in war? This, O , it hath has been said, is the duty that should be followed by the Kshatriyas, viz., to bring others under sway by the exhibition of prowess and then to treat them as slaves. Having gathered these monarchs with the intention of offering them as sacrifices unto to the god, how shall I, O , from fear liberate them to-day, when I recollect also the duty I have recited of a Kshatriya? With troops against troops arrayed in order of battle, or alone against one, or against two, or against three, at the same time or separately, I am ready to fight.'"
said,--"Having spoken thus, and desiring to fight with those heroes of terrible achievements, king ordered (his son) Sahadeva to be installed on the throne. Then, O bull of the Bharata race, the king, on the eve of battle, thought of his two generals Kausika and Chitrasena. These two, O king, were formerly called by everybody in the world of men by the respectful appellations of Hansa and Dimvaka. And, O monarch, that tiger among men, the lord ever devoted to truth, the slayer of Madhu, the younger brother of Haladhara, the foremost of all persons having their senses under complete control, keeping in view the command of and remembering that the ruler of Magadha was destined to be slain in battle by and not by the descendant of Madhu (Yadavas), desired not to slay himself king , that foremost of all men endued with strength, that hero possessed of the prowess of a tiger, that warrior of terrible valour."