Thus adored the great goddess Durgā went where Aniruddha was kept in chains. The goddess, fond of her votaries, released Aniruddha who was imprisoned in the City of Vāna. She appeared before the irrepressible hero Aniruddha and consoled him. The powerful hero then saluted her. Thereupon the goddess with her fingers cut off the strong noose of serpents and then consoling Aniruddha said:—"O Aniruddha, wait here for a few days more. The holder of discus and the slayer of the Daityas will cut off the thousand arms of Vāna, release you from your fetters and take you to his own city (6-15)".
CHAPTER CCLXVIII. ANXIETY OF THE YADAVAS FOR ANIRUDDHA.
Vaishampāyana said:—When Ariruddha was taken away as captive, his beloved wives and their companions cried there in his absence, like so many ewes (1). "Alas! even under the protection of the Lord Krishna, we are weeping helplessly stricken with fear and grief (2). He, under the shade of whose arms, Adityas, Maruts and the gods headed by Indra, are living without any anxiety in the celestial region, has been visited by such a great calamity in this world. Alas! who has stolen away his heroic grandson Aniruddha 2 (3–4). Alas, that wicked-minded one, who has excited this unbearable fire of Vasudeva's anger, has indeed no fear in this world (5). He is standing before the teeth of Death with his mouth wide open. Indeed such an enemy can stand before Vasudeva in battle. Committing such an ill turn by the Yadu king Keshava can even Sachi's lord escape with his life? (6-7). Alas, our husband has been stolen away today or our lord has forsaken us and made us objects of pity. Oh I on account of the separation of our lord, we have been brought under control by death" (8).
Exclaiming thus those beautiful women continually wept and shed profuse tears. Their eyes, full of tears, imitated the beauty of lotuses immersed in water in the rainy season (9–10). Their eyes appeared to have been bathed in blood. The cries of those women in the palace set up a noise like that of thousands of female ospreys crying in the sky (11-12).
Hearing that unheard, of lamentation caused by fear the Yadu chiefs all on sudden leaped down from their respective houses. As the lions, when assailed, come out of their caves, so the Yadavas, coming out, said, their voice being choked with affection—"Krishna protects us all completely. Whence is then this fear? Why is such a noise heard in Aniruddha's house? (13–15)." Thereupon the huge bugle of Krishna's court was brought and sounded; and at that sound all the Yadavas assembled there. They asked one another "What is the matter?" And they answered one another as they had heard (16-17). Hearing it the eyes, reddened in anger, of the Yadavas dreadful in battle, were filled with tears; and they sighed there idly (18). Then beholding even Krishna the foremost of strikers sigh again and again and others sit silently Viprithu said:—(19). "O Krishna, you are the foremost of men; why are you then possessed by anxiety? The Yadavas, living under the protection of your arms, are ranging freely at large. Leaving the charge of success and defeat to you even the powerful Sakra is sleeping happily. See your kinsmen are sunk in unfathomable ocean of grief. O large-armed hero, save them. What is the cause of your anxiety? O Mādhava, why do you not speak any thing? You should not indulge in such idle thoughts." Thus addressed Vāsudeva, a clever speaker like Vrihaspati himself, sighed again and again for some time and then said:—"O Viprathu, I was anxiously thinking about this (20–25). Even thinking I have not been able to settle anything. Therefore I could not give you any reply although you asked me (26). Hear, O Yadavas, I will describe to you in truth, why I have been filled with anxiety. On account of the captivity of the heroic Aniruddha all the kings of the earth and my friends will consider me incapable. Formerly our king Ahuka was taken captive by Shālwa—but we brought him back after a dreadful fight. Rukshmini's son Pradyumna was stolen away by Shamvara in his infancy. But he, having slain him in battle, has come back. But where has Aniruddha been exiled? O ye foremost of men, I do not recollect I had before experienced such sorrow and mental agony (27-31). I will in battle kill him with his own people who has put on my head this foot covered with ashes." After Krishna had said this Sātyaki observed:—"O Krishna, despatch spies all over for finding out Aniruddha. Let them search the earth with mountains and forests. Let open and secret emissaries be engaged in this work" (32-34).
Vaishampāyana said:—Hearing the word of Keshava king Ahuka speedily ordered the messengers for finding out Aniruddha. Ordering them "Search out all the countries lying on and under the earth" the high-souled king Ahuka gave them sufficient horses and cars. (He said):—"Do you soon go on horse back and search the mountains Rikshavān and Raivataka covered with trees and creepers. Enter without any hesitation into the gardens and forests there and search every creek and corner. Riding on horses and elephants do you soon find out Aniruddha the enhancer of the joy of the Yadavas" (35–39).
Thereupon the Commander-in-chief Anādhristhi said to the eternal Krishna of unwearied actions:—"O lord Krishna, from long I have been cherishing a desire of communicating something to thee. Hear, if thou dost like, I will communicate it at present. Asilomā, Puloma, Nisunda, Naraka, Soubha, Shalwa, Mainda, and Dwivida have all been slain by thee (40–42). When a highly dreadful encounter took place on account of the gods thou didst kill Hayagriva with all his kinsmen. O Govinda, in every battle thou didst accomplish all these works completely. No one even acted as thy charioteer (43-44). O Krishna, while carrying away Pārijatā thou didst perform a great and arduous feat with Anuvandha, O Mādhava; in that battle thou didst alone, by the strength of thy own arms, vanquish Vāsava, expert in fighting, seated on his elephant Airavata. On account of that encounter a great hostility has been created between you both (45–47). Methinks Maghavān himself has taken away Aniruddha; who else but him can satisfy his enmity on thee (48)?"
After the highly powerful Anadhristhi had said this Krishna, sighing like a serpent, said:—"Do not say so, O sir; the gods are not mean, ungrateful, womanish and stupid. I work hard on behalf of the gods for destroying the Dānavas. To please them I have killed the proud Asuras in battle. The gods are my support, my mind is devoted to them, and I am their devoted votary. Therefore knowing me, how can they injure me? You say so out of your own meanness—they are not mean. They are truthful and compassionate unto their votaries. I fear no danger from them. I tell you for certain, this is not the work of Mahendra or any other gods. Aniruddha must have been taken away by some harlot" (49-54).
Vaishampāyana said:—Hearing those words of anxious Krishna of wonderful deeds, Akrura, capable of understanding the true meaning of words, said in sweet words:—"O Lord, Indra's work is identical with ours and ours is the same as that of Sachi's lord. We are for the gods and they should be protected by us. We are born as men for the gods" (55–57). Thus excited by Akrura's words Krishna, the slayer of Madhu, said in sweet and grave words:—"Pradyumna has not been taken away by any amongst the Devatas, Gandharvas, Yakshasas or Rākshasas. That highly illustrious hero must have been tempted away by some courtezan. The women of the Daityas and Dānavas are by nature loose and tempting. Forsooth Pradyumna must have been taken away by them. We need entertain fear from no other quarter" (58–60).
Vaishampāyana said:—After the high-souled Krishna had said this the Yadavas understood as the matter really was and they all highly applauded him (61). The bards, panegyrists, poets and songsters began to sing delightedly songs of praise in Mādhava's house (62). In the meantime, the messengers, who had been despatched to find out Aniruddha, returned at the gate of the Durbar Hall and slowly and sorrowfully said (63). "O king, all the gardens mountains, forests, caves, rivers, and tanks, we have searched hundreds of times, but we saw Aniruddha nowhere." O king Janamejaya, other messengers sent by Krishna returned and said:—"We have searched everywhere, but Pradyumna has not been seen. O Yadu chief, order hereafter what we should do about searching for Aniruddha" (64–66). Hearing those words the Yadavas were all dejected at heart and their eyes were filled with tears. They spoke amongst one another, "What should we do now?" Amongst them many had their eyes filled with tears, some bit their lips, and some frowned and all thought how they could accomplish their object (67–68). Thus thinking they gave vent to various words. They were stricken with great anxiety and thought where Aniruddha could have been (69). The Yādavas, filled with anger, looked upon one another, and with great anxiety spent the night some how thinking where Aniruddha could have been taken away (70). While they thus conversed the night passed away. At that time, the men, appointed for the purpose, aroused Krishna with the sound of bugles and conch-shells in his palace (71).