युधिष्ठिर उवाच असांनिध्यं कथं कृष्ण तवासीद् वृष्णिनन्दन। क्व चासीद् विप्रवासस्ते किं चाकार्षीः प्रवासतः॥
Yudhishthira said: O Krishna, O son of Vrishni, why were you absent? Where did you live in your sojourn and what did you do?
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच शाल्वस्य नगरं सौभं गतोऽहं भरतर्षभ। निहन्तुं कौरवश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे शृणु कारणम्॥ महातेजा महाबाहुर्यः स राजा महायशाः। दमघोषात्मजो वीरः शिशुपालो मया हतः॥ यज्ञे ते भरतश्रेष्ठ राजसूयेऽर्हणां प्रति। स रोषवशमापन्नो नामृष्यत दुरात्मवान्॥ श्रुत्वा तं निहतं शाल्वस्तीव्ररोषसमन्वितः। उपायाद् द्वारकां शून्यामिहस्थे मयि भारत॥
Srikrishna said : O Bharata chief, O foremost of the Kurus, I went to destroy the city of Shalva; listen to the reasons thereof. O foremost of the Bharatas, at the sacrifice of Rajasuya, the heroic son of Damaghosha, the highly effulgent, the mightyarmed and the illustrious king Shishupala was killed by me, for he could not bear to see the first worship offered to me. O descendant of Bharata, having heard of his destruction, Shalva, stricken with dreadful anger, went to the empty Dvarka, myself living here.
स तत्र योधितो राजन् कुमारैर्वृष्णिपुङ्गवैः। आगतः कामगं सौभमारुह्मैव नृशंसवत्॥
Having reached there, O king, in a chariot, coursing at will, made of precious metals and called accordingly Saubha, he fought ruthlessly with the young and leading princes of the Vrishni family.
ततो वृष्णिप्रवीरांस्तान् बालान् हत्वा बहूस्तदा। पुरोद्यानानि सर्वाणि भेदयामास दुर्मतिः॥ पुनस्तत्र तत्र प्रधावति।
Thereupon slaying a numberless young princes of the Vrishni race, the wicked-minded one laid waste all the gardens belonging to the city.
उक्तवांश्च महाबाहो क्वासौ वृष्णिकुलाधमः। वासुदेवः स मन्दात्मा वसुदेवसुतो गतः॥
O mighty armed hero, he (Shalva) said, "Where has that greatly vicious-minded son of Vasudeva, that disgrace of the Vrishni race Vasudeva (Krishna) gone?
तस्य युद्धार्थिनो दर्प युद्धे नाशयितास्म्यहम्। आनर्ताः सत्यमाख्यात तत्र गन्तास्मि यत्र सः॥ तं हत्वा विनिवर्तिष्ये कंसकेशिनिषूदनम्। अहत्वा न निवर्तिष्ये सत्येनायुधमालभे॥
I shall humiliate in battle his pride. Tell me truly, O Anarthas, I shall repair where he has gone. I shall go back after slaying that destroyer of Kansa and Keshi; I swear by my weapon that I shall not return without slaying him."
क्वासौ क्वासाविति मया किल रणे योद्धं काक्षमाणः स सौभराट्। ११॥
(Exclaiming repeatedly) Where is he! Where is he!' the lord of Saubha, being desirous of fighting with me again and again rushed hither and thither in battle.
अद्य तं पापकर्माणं क्षुद्रं विश्वासघातिनम्। शिशुपालवधामर्षाद् गमयिष्ये यमक्षयम्॥ मम पापस्वभावेन भ्राता येन निपातितः। शिशुपालो महीपालस्तं वधिष्ये महीपते॥
“Being enraged at the destruction of Shishupala, I shall dispatch today to the abode of Yama that mean and treacherous wight of vicious deeds. Oh king of the earth, “I shall slay him, vicious character as he is by whom, my brother, the great king Shishupala, was killed.
भ्राता बालश्च राजा च न च संग्राममूर्धनि। प्रमत्तश्च हतो वीरस्तं हनिष्ये जनार्दनम्॥
My royal brother was a boy and that hero was killed in the battle field unprepared and therefore I shall kill Janarddana."
एवमादि महाराज विलप्य दिवमास्थितः। कामगेन स सौभेन क्षिप्त्वा मां कुरुनन्दन॥
O great king, having thus bewailed and abused me, O descendant of Kuru, he rose up in the sky in (his car) Saubha, coursing at will.
तमश्रौषमहं गत्वा यथावृत्तः स दुर्मतिः। मयि कौरव्य दुष्टात्मा मार्तिकावतको नृपः॥
Returning there, O descendant of Kuru, I heard all that the vicious-minded and evilsouled king of Martika had said regarding myself.
ततोऽहमपि कौरव्य रोषव्याकुलमानस:। निश्चित्य मनसा राजन् वधायास्य मनो दधे॥
Thereupon, O descendant of Kuru, O king, having my mind agitated by wrath and resolving in my mind to kill him, I determind to do it.
आनर्तेषु विमर्दं च क्षेपं चात्मनि कौरव। प्रवृद्धमवलेपं च तस्य दुष्कृतकमणः॥ ततः सौभवधायाहं प्रतस्थे पृथिवीपते। स मया सागरावर्ते दृष्ट आसीत् परीप्सता॥
O descendant of Kuru, having heard of his oppressions on the Anarthas, of his vilifying me and also of the increasing arrogance of that one of impious deeds (I resolved upon his destruction). Thereupon, I proceeded, O lord of the earth, to destroy Saubha. He (Shalva) was espied by me in an island in the midst of an ocean.
आहूय शाल्वं समरे ततः प्रध्माप्य जलजं पाञ्चजन्यमहं नृप। युद्धाय समवस्थितः॥
Thereupon O king, blowing my conch, called Panchajanya, obtained from the ocean and inviting Shalva to an encounter 1 prepared myself for battle.
तन्मुहूर्तमभूद् युद्धं तत्र मे दानवैः सह। वशीभूताश्च मे सर्वे भूतले च निपातिताः॥
There took place at once a dreadful encounter between me and the Danavas and they were all vanquished and prostrated on earth by me.
एतत् कार्यं महाबाहो येनाहं नागमं तदा। श्रुत्वैव हास्तिनपुरं द्यूतं चाविनयोत्थितम्। द्रुतमागतवान् युष्मान् द्रष्टुकामः सुदुःखितान्॥
It is for this, O mighty-armed hero, that I could not come to you. But no sooner I heard of the unfair gambling at Hastinapur than I have come here to see you who have been thus sunk in calamity.