Text 1-2: Sūta said: When Arjuna went to Dvārakā to see his friends and understand the activities and intentions of famous Kṛṣṇa, he did not return for some months. Yudhiṣṭhira saw inauspicious omens at that time.

Text 3: He saw a fearful change of time, with seasons appearing in the wrong order. He saw sinful men engaged in maintaining themselves by occupations which were characterized by anger, greed and cheating.

Text 4: He saw dealings that were filled with deception, and friendships which were mixed with cheating. There were quarrels between fathers, mothers, friends, brothers, husbands and wives.

Text 5: Seeing the men’s sinful qualities filled with greed and the extremely inauspicious symptoms appearing according to time, he spoke to Bhīma.

Text* 6: Yudhiṣṭhira said: I sent Arjuna to Dvārakā because I wanted him to see our friends there and to understand the activities of famous Kṛṣṇa.

Text* 7: O Bhīmasena! Seven months have passed. You younger brother has not yet returned. I do not know the reason at all.

Text 8: Has the time indicated by Nārada arrived, when the Lord desires to give up his form engaged in pastimes?

Text 9: From him, by his mercy we have attained wealth, kingdom, wives, life, family, citizens, victory over enemies, and the higher worlds.

Text 10: Lion among men! See the ill omens in the sky, land and bodies indicating fearful situation close at hand which will bewilder our intelligence.

Text 11: O Bhīma! My left thigh, eye and arm are repeatedly twitching. There is trembling in my heart. Soon these omens will bring misfortune.

Text 12: Bhīma! A jackal spitting fire is howling while facing the rising sun. A fearless dog is looking at me and howling.

Text 13: O tiger among men! Auspicious animals are circling me counterclockwise and inauspicious animals are circling me clockwise. I see that my horses are crying.

Text 14: This pigeon, a messenger of death, the owl which is making my mind tremble and the crow desire to empty the universe with their harsh cries.

Text 15: The air is hazy in all direction like a wall. The earth along with the mountains is trembling. There is sudden loud clamor with cloudless thunder.

Text 16: The wind, spreading darkness with dust, blows harshly. And the clouds rain hideously as if spraying blood everywhere.

Text 17: See the sun with weak light fighting with other planets in the sky, 59and see the earth and heavens ablaze with the followers of Śiva along with other beings.

Text 18: The male and female rivers, the lakes and the mind of all beings are agitated. Fire does not burn with ghee. What does the future portend?

Text 19: The calves do not drink milk and the cows do not give milk. The cows wail with tearful faces and the bulls do not enjoy the fields.

Text 20: The deities seem to be weeping, perspiring and moving about. The populated areas, villages, towns, gardens and hermitages are devoid of splendor and bliss. Why are they showing us such suffering?

Text 21: It seems the earth, made inauspicious by these ominous signs, is devoid of the footsteps of the Lord endowed with glorious marks not seen in any one else.

Text* 22: O brāhmaṇa! While the king was contemplating the matter with consideration of the ill omens, Arjuna arrived in Hastināpura.

Text 23-24: Seeing lusterless Arjuna fallen at his feet, grieving like never before, with downcast face and tears flowing from his lotus eyes, with an agitated heart, Yudhiṣṭhira, remembering what Nārada has said, inquired from Arjuna in the presence of his friends.

Text* 25: Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Arjuna! Are our relatives, the Madhus, Bhojas, Daśārhas, Arhas, Sātvatas, Andhakas and Vṛṣṇīs well in Dvārakā?

Text 26: Is our respected maternal grandfather Śūra61 well? Are our maternal uncle Vasudeva and his younger brothers well?

Text 27: Are our seven aunts, Vasudeva’s wives, who are like sisters, headed by Devakī,62 and their sons and their wives well?

Text 28: How are Ugrasena, evil Kaṁsa, and his younger brother Devaka? How are Hṛdīka and his son Kṛtavarmā, Akrūra, Jayanta, Gada and Sāraṇa?

Text* 29: How are Śatrujit and others? Is Balarāma, Lord of the Sātvatas well?

Text 30: Is Pradyumna, the mahāratha among all the Vṛṣṇis happy? Is Aniruddha, fierce in fighting, prospering?

Text* 31-33: How are Suṣeṇa,64 Cārudeṣṇa,65 Jāmbavatī’s son Sāmba, and other prominent sons, and their sons such as Ṛṣabha? How are Śrutadeva, Uddhava and other attendants of Kṛṣṇa? How are the best of the Sātvatas headed by Nanda and Sunanda, protected by the arms of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma? Do your firm friends think of our welfare?

Text 34: Is Lord Govinda, who is kind to the brāhmaṇas and affectionate to the devotees, happily presiding over the Sudharmā hall surrounded by his friends in the city?

Text 35: Is the first person, Kṛṣṇa, with the help of Balarāma, residing happily in the ocean of the Yadu family for giving prema, liberation and prosperity to the people?

Text 36: The Yādavas, worshipped even by the devatās, play like the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha in their city which is protected by Kṛṣṇa’s strong arms.

Text 37: Satyabhāmā and the other sixteen thousand queens, by serving his feet as their main activity, (through Kṛṣṇa) defeated in battle the devatās, and took the pārijāta tree which was being enjoyed by Indra’s wife Śaci.

Text 38: The fearless Yadu heroes, protected by the strength of his arms, constantly tread with their feet over the Sudharmā assembly hall which was taken by force even though the devatās deserved it.

Text 39: Are you healthy? You appear to me to have lost your effulgence. Staying away so long, were you not given proper respect, or were you disrespected by your friends?

Text 40: Were you struck by harsh words without affection? Did you fail to give what you had promised to someone who requested from you and then remained silent?

Text 41: Giver of shelter, did you perhaps reject brāhmaṇas, children, cows, elders, invalids and women, and other living beings, who took shelter of you?

Text 42: Did you perhaps approach an unworthy woman or did you approach a woman not properly attired? Were you defeated on the road by inferiors in strength or caste?

Text 43: Did you perhaps take your meal without feeding elders and children who should be fed at the same time? Did you perform some horrendous, forbidden act?

Text 44: Do you consider yourself empty in consciousness because of separation from your most dear friend? There can be no other reason for such devastation.