ಶ್ರೀಮದ್ಭಾಗವತಪುರಾಣಮ್

ಪಾಂಡು ಪುತ್ರರು, ಮತ್ಸ್ಯ, ಕೇಕಯ ಮತ್ತು ಸೃಂಜಯ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ರಾಜರು—all armed and filled with anger—rose up with the intent to kill ಶಿಶುಪಾಲ. That moment, the king of ಚೇದಿ, undisturbed and fearless, took up his sword and shield, rebuking those kings who supported ಕೃಷ್ಣ in the grand assembly. As tensions reached their peak, the Lord Himself—ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣ—stood up, restrained His own supporters, and, with divine fury, severed the head of His enemy, ಶಿಶುಪಾಲ, using His razor-sharp ಚಕ್ರ. With the fall of ಶಿಶುಪಾಲ, a great uproar erupted; his follower-kings, fearing for their lives, scattered in all directions. Then, a radiant light emerged from the slain body of the king of ಚೇದಿ and, witnessed by all present, entered ಶ್ರೀ ವಾಸುದೇವ, just as a meteor falls from the sky to earth. Though his mind was inflamed by enmity accumulated over three lifetimes, meditating upon Krishna at the end, he became absorbed in the Lord Himself—for one's state of mind determines the next birth. After this, abundant gifts were given to the priests and assistants, all honored according to prescribed rites, and the emperor performed the concluding bath of the great yajna. Having completed the king’s sacrifice, Krishna—the Lord of yogis—remained there for a few months at the request of His dear friends. Eventually, though the king did not wish it, Krishna, the son of ದೇವಕಿ, took leave, departing with His wives and ministers to His own city. Thus, the story of the two Vaikuntha residents—their repeated births due to a brāhmaṇa’s curse—was narrated in detail. At the conclusion of the ರಾಜಸೂಯ ಯಜ್ಞ, King ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರ shone brilliantly amidst the assembly of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, like the lord of the gods. All the gods, humans, and celestial beings, honored by the king, joyfully returned to their own abodes, praising Krishna and the sacrifice. Only ದುರ್ಯೋಧನ, the sinful embodiment of Kali among the Kurus, could not tolerate the great prosperity of the son of ಪಾಂಡು. Whoever recites these divine deeds of ವಿಷ್ಣು—including the slaying of ಶಿಶುಪಾಲ, the king’s liberation, and the grand yajna—is freed from all sins. Thus ends the seventy-fourth chapter, entitled 'The Slaying of Shishupala,' in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Then, the king asked, "O brāhmaṇa, witnessing the grand ರಾಜಸೂಯ ಯಜ್ಞ of Ajātaśatru, all the assembled kings, gods, and men rejoiced. Except for ದುರ್ಯೋಧನ, all were filled with joy. O Lord, we have heard this—please tell us the reason for it." Sri Badarayani replied: At your great ancestor’s ರಾಜಸೂಯ ಯಜ್ಞ, his relatives, bound by affection, were engaged in various services. ಭೀಮ assumed charge of the kitchen; ಸುಯೋಧನ managed the treasury; ಸಹದೇವ handled the worship; and ನಕುಲ procured all necessary materials. ಅರ್ಜುನ attended to the elders; ಕೃಷ್ಣ washed the feet; ದ್ರುಪದ’s daughter served food; and ಕರ್ಣ, noble-minded, distributed gifts. ಯುಯುಧಾನ, ವಿಕರ್ಣ, ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ್ಯ, ವಿದುರ ಮತ್ತು ಬಾಹ್ಲಿಕ ಪುತ್ರರು, ಭೂರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂತಾರ್ದನ—all were assigned various duties. Thus, all those appointed to various tasks in the great yajna acted with the desire to please the king. When the priests, assistants, and best of friends had been duly honored with gifts, sweet words, and proper hospitality, and when Krishna—the Lord of the Sātvatas—entered the sacrificial arena after slaying Shishupala, they performed the concluding bath in the celestial river. Musical instruments like ಮೃದಂಗ, ಶಂಖ, ಪಾನವ, ಧುಂಧುರಿ, ಅನಕ, ಮತ್ತು ಗೋಮುಖ resounded during the ritual bath festival. Joyful dancers danced, singers sang in groups, and the sounds of veena, flute, and clapping rose up, touching the heavens. Kings adorned with golden garlands departed, riding elephants and chariots decorated with colorful banners and flags, accompanied by their splendidly adorned warriors. The Yadus, Sṛñjayas, Kambojas, Kurus, Kekayas, and Kosalas, leading their armies, shook the earth as they proceeded to the sacrifice. Distinguished sages, officiants, and best of the twice-born, with loud chanting of Vedic hymns, were praised by gods, sages, ancestors, and gandharvas, who showered flowers. Men and women, adorned with fragrant garlands, ornaments, and fine garments, playfully sprinkled each other and enjoyed various delights. Women, smeared with oil, cow's ghee, fragrant powders, turmeric, and rich saffron, playfully rubbed and enjoyed with the men. Protected by men, the queens went out unnoticed, like divine ladies in celestial chariots; as they were sprinkled by their maternal relatives and friends, their faces shone with bashful smiles. Those queens, together with their friends, sprinkled the gods with enthusiasm. Their garments wet, bodies and breasts exposed, their loosened garlands falling, they stirred the minds of those with impure thoughts by their charming play. The emperor, mounted on a chariot drawn by fine horses and adorned with gold, shone among his wives like the lord of a sacrifice among its rituals. After performing the ritual bath with his wives, the officiants, having purified themselves, bathed him in the Ganges together with Krishna. Divine drums resounded together with human drums; gods, sages, ancestors, and humans showered flowers. There, all men, belonging to every class and stage of life, bathed; even those guilty of great sins were instantly freed from impurity. Then the king, wearing fine silk and splendidly adorned, honored the officiants, sages, and brāhmaṇas with ornaments and garments. The king, devoted to Narayana, repeatedly honored his relatives, acquaintances, kings, friends, and all others. All the people shone with divine radiance, wearing jeweled earrings, garlands, turbans, jackets, fine cloth, and precious necklaces; the women, adorned with pairs of earrings and groups of bangles, their faces beautiful, shone with golden girdles. Finally, the officiants of great virtue, the sages, and the brāhminical scholars, along with the assembled kings of all four classes—brāhmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra—gathered there, completing the grandeur of the sacrifice.