Vaishampayana said Then Hrishikesha, and king Yudhishthira, and all those persons headed by Kripa, and the four Pandavas, riding on those cars resembling fortified cities and adorned with stands and banners, quickly went to Kurukshetra with the help of their quick-coursing horses.

They descended on that field of Kuru, which was covered with hair, marrow and bones, and where millions of great Kshatriyas had died.

It also contained many hills made of the bodies and bones of elephants and horses, and human heads and skulls were scattered over it like conch-shells.

interspersed with thousands of funeral pyres and containing masses of armour and weapons, the vast field looked like the drinking site of the Destroyer himself used and left of late.

The powerful car-warriors quickly proceeded, seeing the field of battle haunted by crowds of spirits and thronged with Rakshasas,

While proceeding, the powerful Keshava, that delighter of all the Yadavas, spoke to Yudhishthira about the prowess of Jamadagni's son.

'Yonder, at a distance, O Partha' are the five lakes of Rama. There Rama offered oblations of Kshatriya blood to his departed manes.

It was here that the powerful Rama, having freed the Earth of Kshatriyas for twenty-one times, accomplished his task.'

Yudhishthira said I have doubt very much of what you say about Rama's having twenty-one times rooted the Kshatriyas in days of yore.

When the very Kshatriya seed was burnt by Rama, O foremost of the Yadus, how was the Kshatriya order revived?

How, O best of the Yadus, was the Kshatriya order exterminated by the illustrious and great Rama, and how did it again grow?

In dreadful car-encounters millions of Kshatriyas were killed. The Earth, O foremost of orators, was covered with the corpses of Kshatriyas.

Why was the Kshatriya order thus rooted out in day of old by Rama, the great descendant of Bhrigu, oforemost of the Yadus. O Vrishni hero, remove this doubt of mine, O Garuda-fanned hero. O Krishna, O younger brother of Vasudeva, the highest knowledge is from you.'

Vaishampayana said The powerful elder brother of Gada then described fully to Yudhishthira everything that had taken place, as to how the Earth had become filled with Kshatriyas.

Vaishampayana said The powerful elder brother of Gada then described fully to Yudhishthira everything that had taken place, as to how the Earth had become filled with Kshatriyas.