still be unable to do anything unto him even in three hundred years. He
hath two friends that are like unto the immortals, and in point of
strength the foremost of all men endued with might. They are called Hansa
and Dimvaka who are both incapable of being slain by weapons. The mighty
Jarasandha, being united with them, becomes incapable, I think, of being
vanquished by even the three worlds. O thou foremost of all intelligent
men, this is not our opinion alone but all other kings also are of the
same mind. There lived, O monarch, a king of the name of Hansa, who was
slain by Rama (Valadeva) after a battle of eighteen days. But, O Bharata,
hearing people say that Hansa had been killed, Dimvaka, O king, thought
that he could not live without Hansa. He accordingly jumped into the
waters of the Yamuna and killed himself. Afterwards when Hansa, the
subjugator of hostile heroes, heard that Dimvaka, had killed himself, he
went to the Yamuna and jumped into its waters. Then, O bull of the Bharata
race, king Jarasandha, hearing that both Hansa and Dimvaka had been
killed, returned to his kingdom with an empty heart. After Jarasandha had
returned, O slayer of all foes, we were filled with pleasure and continued
to live at Mathura. Then the widow of Hansa and the daughter of
Jarasandha, that handsome woman with eyes like lotus-petals, grieved at
the death of her lord, went unto her father, and repeatedly urged, O
Monarch, the king of Magadha, saying,--O slayer of all foes, kill thou the
slayer of my husband.--Then, O great king, remembering the conclusion to
which we had come of old we became exceedingly cheerless and fled from
Mathura. Dividing our large wealth into small portions so as to make each
portion easily portable, we fled from fear of Jarasandha, with our cousins
and relatives. Reflecting upon everything, we fled towards the west. There
is a delightful town towards the west called Kusasthali, adorned by the
mountains of Raivata. In that city, O monarch, we took up our abode. We
rebuilt its fort and made it so strong that it has become impregnable even
to the Gods. And from within it even the women might fight the foe, what