युधिष्ठिर उवाच
असांनिध्यं कथं कृष्ण तवासीद् वृष्णिनन्दन ॥
क्व चासीद् विप्रवासस् ते किं वाकार्षीः प्रवासकः ॥
कृष्ण उवाच
शाल्वस्य नगरं सौभं गतो ऽहं भरतर्षभ ॥
विनिहन्तुं नरश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे शृणु कारणम् ॥
महातेजा महाबाहुर् यः स राजा महायशाः ॥
दमघोषात्मजो वीरः शिशुपालो मया हतः ॥
यज्ञे ते भरतश्रेष्ठ राजसूये ऽर्हणां प्रति ॥
स रोषवशसंप्राप्तो नामृष्यत दुरात्मवान् ॥
श्रुत्वा तं निहतं शाल्वस् तीव्ररोषसमन्वितः ॥
उपायाद् द्वारकां शून्याम् इहस्थे मयि भारत ॥
स तत्र योधितो राजन् बालकैर् वृष्णिपुंगवैः ॥
आगतः कामगं सौभम् आरुह्यैव नृशंसकृत् ॥
ततो वृष्णिप्रवीरांस् तान् बालान् हत्वा बहूंस् तदा ॥
पुरोद्यानानि सर्वाणि भेदयाम् आस दुर्मतिः ॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
asāṃnidhyaṃ kathaṃ kṛṣṇa tavāsīd vṛṣṇinandana ||
kva cāsīd vipravāsas te kiṃ vākārṣīḥ pravāsakaḥ ||
kṛṣṇa uvāca
śālvasya nagaraṃ saubhaṃ gato 'haṃ bharatarṣabha ||
vinihantuṃ naraśreṣṭha tatra me śṛṇu kāraṇam ||
mahātejā mahābāhur yaḥ sa rājā mahāyaśāḥ ||
damaghoṣātmajo vīraḥ śiśupālo mayā hataḥ ||
yajñe te bharataśreṣṭha rājasūye 'rhaṇāṃ prati ||
sa roṣavaśasaṃprāpto nāmṛṣyata durātmavān ||
śrutvā taṃ nihataṃ śālvas tīvraroṣasamanvitaḥ ||
upāyād dvārakāṃ śūnyām ihasthe mayi bhārata ||
sa tatra yodhito rājan bālakair vṛṣṇipuṃgavaiḥ ||
āgataḥ kāmagaṃ saubham āruhyaiva nṛśaṃsakṛt ||
tato vṛṣṇipravīrāṃs tān bālān hatvā bahūṃs tadā ||
purodyānāni sarvāṇi bhedayām āsa durmatiḥ ||
Yudhishthira asked: "O Krishna, joy of the Vrishnis, how did it happen that you were not here? Where were you, and what were you doing?" Krishna answered: "I went to the city of Shalva, Saubha, to destroy it. Hear the reason. At your rajasuya sacrifice I slew Shishupala, the greatly renowned son of Damaghosha, who in his wrath could not bear the honor shown to me. Hearing of his death, Shalva, seized by fury, came to Dvaraka while I was away. He arrived mounted on Saubha, which moves at will, and the young heroes of the Vrishnis fought against him. Having slain many of them, the evil-minded one destroyed all the city's gardens."
7dcc31036a88 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:44:34 PM UTC
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Yudhishthira asks not to reproach but to understand the knot of events. Krishna's answer shows that dharma is tested on many fronts at once: while the Pandavas suffered in Hastinapura, Dvaraka too stood under attack from an enemy born of Shishupala's earlier adharma.