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CHAPTER LI.

WE now write the last half of the history. Shree Shookdeo, the sage, said,--O great king! I will relate, how Shree Krishnù Chund conquered Joorasindhoo and his army, destroyed the right of the dead, released Moochkoond, and, having left Bruj, took up his abode in Dwarka: listen with the greatest attention.

The Raja Oogursen ruled over Muttra with great skill and policy; and Shree Krishnù and Bulram, like servants, were obedient to his orders. Under his government all his subjects were happy; except the widows of Kuns, who were greatly grieved at the loss of their husband. They could not sleep, and had no sensation of hunger or thirst. During the whole eight puhurs, they were in a state of sorrow.

One day the two sisters, being deeply engaged in thought, said to each other, "A woman has no excellence without her husband, as the subject has no excellence without his lord, or night without the moon. As we have lost our husbands, we ought not to stay here now; and it is better for us to go and live in the house of our father."

O great king! the two queens, having thus determined, sent for a ruth, and travelled in it from Muttra to their father's house, in the Behar country; and with tears related to him, how Shree Krishnù and Bulram had. destroyed Kuns and all evil spirits.

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On hearing their account, Joorasindhoo entered his court in great wrath, and said, "What powerful men are these, who have been born in the family of Judoo, and have made my daughters widows, after destroying the very powerful Kuns and all evil spirits? I will attack them with my whole army; and destroying with fire the city of Muttra, and all the family and descendants of Judoo, will carry off Bulram and Krishnù bound and alive: otherwise my name is not Joorasindh."

Having thus spoken, he wrote letters to all the neighbouring Rajas, asking them to come to him with their armies; as he was about to revenge himself for the death of Kuns, by destroying all the descendants of Judoo, and making their race extinct. On receiving Joorasindhoo's letters, all the Rajas of the different countries came quickly with their forces; and Joorasindhoo also arranged and prepared his army.

At length when Joorasindhoo took his departure from the Behar country to Muttra with all his army of demons, he had twenty-three complete armies with him; each army consisting of 21,817 charioteers and as many men mounted on elephants: 109,350 foot soldiers and 66,000 horsemen. Such were the twenty-three complete armies he had with him, each demon of which was powerful beyond description. O great king! when Joorasindhoo, accompanied with all his army of evil spirits, advanced, sounding the kettle-drum, the guardians of the ten quarters began to shake and tremble, and the gods to fly through fear. The earth apart began to be agitated, like the roof of a house, from the load. At length, after some days' progress he arrived, and surrounded the city of Muttra on all sides. Upon this, the inhabitants of the city went in the greatest alarm to Shree Krishnù Chund, and exclaimed, "O great king! Joorasindhoo has encompassed our city on all sides; what shall we do, and where shall we go?"

On hearing these words, Huri reflected for a short time; and Bulram having, in the mean while, come to him, said, "O great king, you have descended upon the earth to remove the

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miseries of your worshippers, be pleased now to assume a body of fire, and destroy the forest in the form of an evil spirit." At these words Shree Krishnù Chund went with him to Oogursen, and said, "O great king! give us an order to fight, and do you, having taken all the descendants of Judoo with you, protect the fort." After these words, when they came to their father and mother, all the inhabitants of the city came round them and being greatly agitated began to say, "O Krishnù! how shall we escape from the hands of these demons?" Huri, perceiving that his mother and father and all the other people were alarmed, explained to them and said, Suffer not any anxiety; this army of demons, which you now see, shall in a moment be dispersed in every direction, in the same manner that bubbles disappear in the water."

Having thus explained, and restored their confidence, he took leave; and as Krishnù advanced, the gods sent two ruths, filled with arms for him. The chariots stood before them, and the two brothers entered them.

The two chiefs of the family of Judoo went forth and reached Joorasindhoo's army safely, they came to the place where Joorasindhoo was standing. On seeing them Joorasindhoo said with great haughtiness to Shree Krishnù Chund, "Fly from before me, why should I kill you, you are not my equal that I should attack you? I will see what Bulram is made of." Shree Krishnù Chund replied, "O proud fool! what silly talk is this of yours. The brave never make high sounding speeches to any one; but behave with moderation to all; when occasion requires they exhibit their power; can they be called brave, who extol their own greatness? There is a saying, that when it thunders, it does not rain; so, wherefore, do you talk boastingly?"

At these words, Joorasindhoo was enraged; and Shree Krishnù and Buldeo retired a short distance, and stood in a state of preparation. He pursued and attacked them with his whole army, and called out, "O wicked wretches! where will

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you fly from my presence? You have long escaped alive; I know not what may be your thoughts, but you shall live no longer, I will send you and all the descendants of Judoo to the same place, where Kuns and all his demons have gone."

O great king! when that devil had made this wicked speech the two brothers retired some distance further, and stood. Shree Krishnù was armed with weapons of all kinds, and Bulram Jee with a plough and wooden pestle. As the army of demons approached them, the two heroes shouted and rushed upon them like lions on a herd of elephants, and encountered them sword in hand. Then the kettle-drums sounded like thunder, and the assembled army of the demons was spread in every direction like clouds; the din of arms was as continued rain; in the midst of which Krishnù and Bulram, whilst fighting, appeared as brilliant and beautiful, as lightning amidst thick clusters of clouds. All the gods were sitting in their chariots, and viewing the battle from the sky, they celebrated the praises of Krishnù, and earnestly wished that he might be victorious; and Oogursen and all the descendants of Judoo were extremely anxious, and regretted that they had allowed Shree Krishnù and Bulram to go forth to the army of demons.

Shree Shookdeo, the sage, having proceeded thus far in his narrative, said, O lord of the earth! when in the course of the battle a great portion of the army of demons had been destroyed, Buldeo Jee descended from his chariot, and bound . Joorasindhoo. Upon this, Shree Krishnù Chund said to him; "Brother! let him live, do not kill him, because he will return and again bring more demons with him; whom we will destroy, and remove the burthens of the world, and if we do not spare his life, we shall lose the evil spirits, who have fled." In consequence of this expostulation of Krishnù, Buldeo Jee released Joorasindhoo, who went off and joined those who had fled from the field. Looking around he said with regret, "My whole army has vanished, the greatest calamity has befallen me. Why should I live?" I will abandon my home, and turn

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devotee." A councillor said to him, expostulating, "Why should a wise man like you regret, sometimes there is defeat, and sometimes victory? No one should abandon his government and home: What matters it that you have been defeated in this battle, we will collect our forces again, and send Krishnù and Buldeo, and all the descendants of Judoo to heaven; banish all anxious thought."

O great king! the councillor having thus expostulated, returned home with Joorasindhoo, and all the demons, who had fled from the battle; and there began to assemble another army. Shree Krishnù and Bulram saw blood flowing in a stream on the battle-field, in which chariots without their charioteers were carried along like boats; in different places the dead elephants appeared like hills, from whose wounds blood spouted forth like springs. There Muhadeo, accompanied by goblins and spirits, and wearing a necklace of human heads, was dancing and singing in the greatest glee; and female spirits and goblins, and the attendants of Devee were drinking blood out of skulls; vultures, jackalls and crows were devouring the bodies, and contending with each other, for the flesh.

Having recited thus much, Shree Shookdeo Jee said,--O. great king! the regent of the winds collected all the chariots, elephants, horses and demons together, and fire burnt them to ashes in a second. The five elements were re-united with each other, all saw them come but no one saw where they departed. Having thus put the demons to death, and removed the burthens of the earth, Shree Krishnù and Bulram, the benefactors of their worshippers, cane to Oogursen, and, making a salutation, said with joined hands, "O great king! through your excellence and majesty, we have destroyed and routed the army of the demons, rule now without fear, and promote the happiness of your subjects." The Raja Oogursen was very much pleased at these words, and made great rejoicings, and began to rule with justice.

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After some time, Joorasindhoo came forth to attack with another army as large as the former one, which Shree Krishnù and Buldeo destroyed and dispersed as before. In this manner, Joorasindhoo attacked seventeen times with his twenty-three armies, which Krishnù drove back, after having inflicted great slaughter on them.

After reciting thus much of the history, Shree Shookdeo, the sage, said to the Raja Pureechit,--O great king! at this time upon a sudden thought Narud Jee rose, and went off to the abode of Kaljumun. On seeing him, he stood up with all his court, and making a salutation, enquired in a respectful manner, and with joined hands, the reason of his coming. At these words Narud, after a little thought, said, "Bulbhudrù and Krishnù are at Muttra, no one, except you, can drive them away, Joorasindhoo has not met with any success. "You are immortal and very powerful, Buldeo and Huri are children." Narud Jee added, "Do not cease to follow him, "whom you observe of the colour of the clouds, with lotus eyes, a very elegant person dressed in yellow silk, and with a yellow scarf."

Having thus spoken, Narud, the sage, departed; and Kaljumun began to prepare his army. After some days, he collected three crores of very unclean men of terrifying aspect, with stout arms and thick necks, large teeth, dirty appearance, brown hair, red eyes, like small red and black seeds; with whom, sounding the kettle-drum, he advanced against the city of Muttra, and surrounded it on all sides. Shree Krishnù Chund, having seen what he had done, thought to himself, "It is not right to remain here, because to-day he has come to attack, and to-morrow Joorasindhoo will come; the inhabitants will be distressed; wherefore, it is most advisable, that all should leave this place, and go and dwell elsewhere."

O great king! Huri, having thus reflected, sent for Bishookurma, and, explaining to him, said, "Go and build a city in the midst of the sea, in which all the descendants of Judoo

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may live comfortably, without knowing that they are not living in their own houses; and convey them all there in a second."

On hearing these words Bishookurma departed, and, according to the injunction of Shree Krishnù Jee, built, during the night, in the sea, on the quoit of Vishnù, a city, forty-eight coss in extent; and having named it Dwarka, returned and informed Huri, who ordered him to convey all the descendants of Judoo there in such a manner, that no one might know, whence they had come, and who had brought them. When Krishnù had thus spoken, Bishookurma conveyed all the descendants of Judoo, together with Oogursen and Basoodeo to the city in the course of the night, and Shree Krishnù and Bulram also went there. In the mean while, on hearing the sound of the waves of the sea, the descendants of Judoo awoke; and being greatly astonished began to say to each other, "Whence has the sea come to Muttra? We cannot understand this mystery at all."

Having proceeded thus far in his narrative, Shree Shookdeo Jee said to the Raja Pureechit,--O lord of the earth! having thus had the descendants of Judoo brought to Dwarka, Shree Krishnù Chund said to Buldeo Jee, "Brother! let us go now, and afford protection to our subjects, and kill Kaljumun." Upon these words, the two brothers went thence to Brujmundul.


Next: Chapter LII