असान्निध्यं तु कौरव्य ममानर्तेष्वभूत्तदा। येनेदं व्यसनं प्राज्ञा भवन्तो द्यूतकारितम्
But, O Kaurava, my absence at that time from these calamities is the reason why, O wise ones, you have suffered this disaster caused by gambling.
सोहमेत्य कुरुश्रेष्ठ द्वारकां पाण्डुनन्दन। अश्रौषं त्वां व्यसनिनं युयुधानाद्यथातथम्
Therefore, O best of Kurus, having come to Dvārakā, O son of Pāṇḍu, I heard from Yuyudhāna and others, just as it happened, that you were afflicted by misfortune.
श्रुत्वैव चाहं राजेन्द्र परमोद्विग्रमानसः। तूर्णमभ्यागतोस्मित्वां द्रष्टुकामो विशंपते
And having heard this, O king, my mind became greatly disturbed; I quickly came, desiring to see you, O lord of men.
अहो कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्ताः सर्वे स्म भरतर्षभ। सोऽहं त्वां व्यसने मग्नं पश्यामि सह सोदरैः
Alas, O bull among the Bharatas, you have all encountered great hardship; thus I see you, plunged in misfortune together with your brothers.
असान्निध्यं कथं कृष्ण तवासीद्वृष्णिनन्दन। क्व चासीद्विप्रवासस्ते किंचाकार्षीः प्रवासतः
How was it, O Kṛṣṇa, delight of the Vṛṣṇis, that you were absent? Where had you gone in exile, and what did you do during your stay away?
साल्वस्य नगरं सौभं गतोऽहं भरतर्षभ। निहन्तुं कौरवश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे शृणु कारणम्
I had gone, O bull among the Bharatas, to the city of Śālva called Saubha, O best of the Kurus, to destroy it; hear from me the reason for this.
महातेजा महांवाहुर्यः स राजा महायशाः। दमघोषात्मजो वीरः शिशुपालो मया हतः
That king of great energy and mighty arms, the illustrious son of Damaghoṣa, the heroic Śiśupāla, was slain by me.
यज्ञे ते भरतश्रेष्ठ राजसूयेऽर्हणां प्रति। स रोषवशमापन्नो नामृष्यत दुरात्मवान्
At your Rājasūya sacrifice, O best of the Bharatas, when you were being honored, he, overcome by anger, could not endure it, being wicked in mind.
श्रुत्वा तं निहतं साल्वस्तीव्ररोषसमन्वितः। उपायाद्द्वारकां शून्यामिहस्थे मयि भारत
Hearing that he had been slain, Śālva, filled with intense anger, approached Dvārakā, which was empty, O Bhārata, while I was present here.
स तत्र युद्धमकरोद्बालकैर्वृष्णिपुङ्गवैः। निवृत्तः कामगं सौभमारुह्यैव नृशंसवत्
There he fought with the young foremost Vṛṣṇis, and then, ceasing, he ascended the Saubha, acting cruelly.
चिरजीवी नृपः सोऽपि प्रसादात्पद्मजन्मनः।' ततो वृष्णिप्रवीरांस्तान्बालान्हत्वा बहूंस्तदा। पुरोद्यानानि सर्वाणि भेदयामास दुर्भतिः
That king, long-lived by the grace of the lotus-born, then killed many of those young Vṛṣṇi heroes, and that wicked one devastated all the gardens in front of the city.
उक्तवांश्च महाबाहो क्वासौ वृष्णिकुलाधमः। वासुदेवः स मन्दात्मा वसुदेवसुतो गतः
And he cried out: 'Where is that lowest of the Vṛṣṇi clan, that weak-minded Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva—where has he gone?'
तस्य युद्धार्थिनो दर्पं युद्धेनाशयिताऽस्म्यहम्। आनर्ताः सत्यमाख्यात तत्र गन्ताऽस्मि यत्र सः
'I will humble his pride in battle, for he desires to fight with me. Tell me truly, O Ānartas, where he is—I will go there.'
तं हत्वा विनिवर्तिष्ये कंसकेशिनिषूदनम्। अहत्वा न निवर्तिष्ये सत्येनायुधमालभे
'Having slain Kaṃsa's and Keśin's killer, I will return; without killing him, I will not turn back—by truth I take up arms.'
क्वासौ क्वासाविति पुनस्तत्रतत्र प्रधावति। मया सह रणे योद्धुं काङ्क्षमाणः स सौभराट्
Again and again he ran here and there, crying, 'Where is he? Where is he?'—the king of Saubha, longing to fight me in battle.
अद्यतं पापकर्माणं क्षुद्रं विश्वासघातिनम्। शिशुपालवधामर्षाद्गमयिष्ये यमक्षयम्
'Today, out of wrath for Śiśupāla's death, I will send to Yama's abode that wicked, petty betrayer of trust.'
मम पापस्वभावेन भ्राता येन निपातितः। शिशुपालो महीपालस्तं वधिष्ये महीतले
'Because my brother, King Śiśupāla, was slain by his sinful nature, I will kill him on this earth.'
भ्राता बालश्च राजा च न च संग्रामकोविदः। प्रमत्तश्च हतो वीरस्तं हनिष्ये जनार्दनम्
'My brother was a child, a king, unskilled in battle, and inattentive—he was slain, that hero; I will kill Janārdana.'
एकमादि महाराज विलप्यदिवमास्थितः। कामगेन स सौभेन क्षिप्त्वा मां कुरुनन्दन
Lamenting thus alone, O great king, he ascended the Saubha at will, and hurled me away, O joy of the Kurus.
तमश्रौषमहं गत्वा यथा वृत्तः स दुर्मतिः। मयि कौरव्य दुष्टात्मा मार्तिकावतको नृपः
I heard, O Kauravya, how that evil-minded king of Mārtikāvata acted when I was away.
ततोऽहमपि कौरव्य रोषव्याकुललोचनः। निश्चित्य मनसा राजन्वधायास्य मनो दधे
Then I too, O Kauravya, my eyes red with anger, resolved in my mind, O king, to slay him.
आनर्तेषु विमर्दं च क्षेपं चात्मनि कौरव। प्रवृद्धमवलेपं च तस्य दुष्कृतकर्मणः
I considered the violence he had wrought among the Ānartas, the insult to myself, and the growing arrogance of that evildoer.
ततः सौभवधायाहं प्रतस्थे पृथिवीपते। स मया सागरावर्ते दृष्ट आसीत्परीप्सता
Then, O lord of the earth, I set out to destroy Saubha; I saw it, desiring to seize it, in the midst of the ocean.
ततः प्रध्माप्य जलजं पाञ्चजन्यमहे नृप। आहूय साल्वं समरे युद्धाय समवस्थितः
Then, O king, blowing the conch Pāñcajanya, I summoned Śālva to battle and stood ready for combat.
तन्मुहूर्तमभूद्युद्धं तत्र मे दानवैः सह। शवीभूताश्च मे सर्वे भूतले च निपातिताः
For a moment there was battle between me and the Dānavas there; all of them were slain by me and fell to the earth.
एतत्कार्यं महाबाहो येनाहं नागमं तदा। श्रुत्वैव हास्तिनपुरे द्यूतं चाविनयोत्थितम्। द्रुतमागतवान्युष्मान्द्रष्टुकामः सुदुःखितान्
This was the reason, O mighty-armed one, that I did not come then; for I heard in Hastināpura of the dice game and the disgrace that arose, and I came quickly, desiring to see you in your deep distress.
वासुदेव महाबाहो विस्तरेण महामते। सौभस्य वधमाचक्ष्व न हि तृष्यामि कथ्यतः
O mighty-armed Vāsudeva, O wise one, recount in detail the destruction of Saubha; I do not tire of hearing it.
हतं श्रुत्वा महाबाहौ मया श्रौतश्रवं नृप। उपायाद्भरतश्रेष्ठ साल्वो द्वारवतीं पुरीम्
Having heard that the mighty-armed king was slain, O king, Salva, best of the Bharatas, approached the city of Dvāravatī by a certain means.
अरुणत्तां सुदुष्टात्मा सर्वतः पाण्डुनन्दन। साल्वो वैहायसं चापि तत्पुरं व्यूह्य धिष्ठितः
That wicked-hearted Salva besieged the city from all sides, O delight of the Pandus, and stationed his aerial city, arranging his forces.
तत्रस्थोऽथ महीपालो योधयामास तां पुरीम्। अभिसारेण सर्वेण तत्र युद्धमवर्तत
Then, the king, remaining there, began to attack the city, and a battle took place with the entire force advancing.