befriend him as long as I continue upon earth. As long as I am present, invincible Śakra, no one shall be able to subdue Arjuna in fight. When the great demon Kansa has been slain, and Arisht́a, Keśin, Kuvalayápíd́a, Naraka, and other fierce Daityas, shall have been put to death, there will take place a great war, in which the burden of the earth will be removed. Now therefore depart, and be not anxious on account of thy son; for no foe shall triumph over Arjuna whilst I am present. For his sake I will restore to Kunti all her sons; with Yudhisht́hira at their head, unharmed, when the Bhárata war is at an end."

Upon Krishńa's ceasing to speak, he and Indra mutually embraced; and the latter, mounting his elephant Airávata, returned to heaven. Krishńa, with the cattle and the herdsmen, went his way to Vraja, where the wives of the Gopas watched for his approach.

Footnotes

528:1 Gobhischa chodita; that is, 'delegated,' says the commentator, 'by the cow of plenty, Kámadhenu, and other celestial kine, inhabitants of Goloka, the heaven of cows:' but this is evidently unauthorized by the text, as celestial cattle could not be grateful for preservation upon earth; and the notion of Goloka, a heaven of cows and Krishńa, is a modern piece of mysticism, drawn from such sectarial works as the Brahma Vaivartta P. and Hari Vanśa.