and Pundarika, and the high-souled Dhritarāshtra, and Hrāda and Krātha and Citikantha of fierce energy, and Chakramanda and Atishanda,15 and that foremost of Nāgas called Durmukha, and Amvarisha, and king Varuna himself, O monarch. Advancing forward and offering him the Arghya and water to wash his feet, and with diverse other rites, they all worshipped the mighty Nāga and saluted him by making the usual enquiries.16 After his brother had thus departed from the (human) world, Vāsudeva of celestial vision, who was fully acquainted with the end of all things, wandered for sometime in that lonely forest thoughtfully. Endued with great energy he then sat down on the bare earth.17 He had thought before this of everything that had been foreshadowed by the words uttered by Gāndhāri in former days. He also recollected the words that Durvāsas had spoken at the time his body was smeared by that Rishi with the remnant of the Pāyasa he had eaten (while a guest at Krishna's house).18 The high-souled one, thinking of the destruction of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, as also of the previous slaughter of the Kurus, concluded that the hour (for his own departure from the world) had come. He then restrained his senses (in Yoga).19 Conversant with the truth of every topic, Vāsudeva, though he was the Supreme Deity, wished to die for dispelling all doubts and establishing a certainty of results (in the matter of human existence), simply for upholding the three worlds and for making the words of Atri's son true.[1]20 Having restrained all his senses, speech, and mind, Krishna laid himself down in high Yoga. A fierce hunter of the name of Jarā then came there, desirous of deer.21 The hunter, mistaking Keçava, who was stratched on the earth in high Yoga, for a deer, pierced him at the heel with a shaft and quickly came to that spot for capturing his prey.22 Coming up, Jarā beheld a man dressed in yellow robes, rapt in Yoga, and endued with
- ↑ The allusion is to the impenetrability of every part of Krishna's body save his feet. Atri's son, Durvāsas, had made Krishna invulnerable except the soles of the feet. Krishna wished to die in such a manner as would make the Rishi's words true.—T.
