bhagavān - the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa; tat - that; upaśrutya - coming to hear; duryaśaḥ - infamy; liptam - smeared; ātmani - upon Himself; mārṣṭum - in order to clean away; prasena-padavīm - the path taken by Prasena; anvapadyata - He followed; nāgaraiḥ - together with people of the city.

When Lord Kṛṣṇa heard this rumor, He wanted to remove the stain on His reputation. So He took some of Dvārakā’s citizens with Him and set out to retrace Prasena’s path.