314 CRADLE TALES OF HINDUISM
victory in the west 1 Victory through all the Uni- verse be Thine ! For infinite in power, and infinite in will, pervading all, Thou art the AH." And then, faltering with excess of memory, the chant would tremble and change, and the worshipper would cry — '< What in the past I have ignorantly uttered, from irreverence or from love, calling upon Thee as 'O Krishna 1 O Yadava ! O Beloved!' looking upon Thee merely as a mortal friend, un- lightened of this, Thy divine greatness, all such I implore Thee, O Ineffable, to forgive!" . , .
And Krishna, to whom past, present, and future were all alike an open book, threw the mantle ot his friendship over the Pandava heroes, from this first hour of Draupadi's swayamvara. All these things passed before the eyes of the dying grand- sire, like a play seen in a dream.
Shielded by the relationship now existing between Draupadi's kindred and themselves, and protected by their alliance with Krishna, the powerful minister of the Vrishni State, Yudisthira and his brothers had next proceeded to resume their name and dignities. Then the news had been carried to Hastinapura, that they still lived, and Bhishma himself, full of thankfulness that the stain of the blood-guilt was wiped off his nephew's name, had insisted on Dritarashtra's recalling the Pandavas, and assigning to them half the kingdom.
Those were the days of the building of Indra-
