Taking advantage of Krishna’s absence from Dwaraka, Salva besieged the city to avenge the slaying of his friend Sisupala. At that time, the city was under the command of Ugrasena, who tried desperately to hold the enemy at bay as long as possible.
Fortunately, the city was built as a fortress, with strong ramparts and a deep moat that acted as defence against any enemy incursion. From the city gates, armed guardsmen kept vigil to ensure that Salva’s soldiers did not make a breach. Ugrasena also stored enough provisions of arms and food to enable his soldiers to withstand any ordeal for a long time. But after a short while, he began to wonder how long he would be able to hold the city.
Just then, Krishna arrived to see his beloved city besieged by Salva. Immediately, he mobilized enough forces to attack Salva’s army, which capitulated after a brief fight. Since he surrendered voluntarily, Krishna spared his life.
‘I would have beheaded you in front of your soldiers if you had been as foul-mouthed as your friend, Sisupala. But I will now let you and your army go unharmed.’
Only after the siege was lifted and the city restored to order, did Krishna decide to meet the Pandavas in the Kamyaka forest, where they had stopped on the first lap of their thirteen-year exile.
What surprised Krishna was how Yudhishthira could agree to a second game of dice after Draupadi had been salvaged and Dhritarashtra, in a rare moment of magnanimity, had restored Indraprastha to him. It was obviously because of his compulsive urge to play dice anywhere, under any circumstances.
When he reached the forest, Draupadi was the first to run up to him, with tears rolling down her face.
‘Where were you, O Krishna,’ she cried out, ‘when I was being disrobed by that rakshasa, Duhsasana? I cried for you several times…’
Krishna let her cry out her heart.
‘Then a miracle took place,’ she resumed. ‘Some divine hand shielded me from this outrage…’
‘By supplying you inexhaustible lengths of the saree,’ intervened Krishna, with an enigmatic smile playing on his face.
Suddenly, something flashed through Draupadi’s mind. Had Krishna himself worked that miracle? At once, she fell at his feet, now crying with joy.
Raising her to her feet, he caressed her head with his right hand. By now, the Pandava brothers, who had seen and heard everything, also gathered around Krishna, with tears of gratitude welling up in their eyes.
Krishna then turned to all of them, saying, ‘Never again you will face such an ordeal. Here and now, I take a vow to help you tide over every crisis. Since you are suffering for a just cause, victory will be yours, for truth must ultimately prevail.’
Encouraged by Krishna’s assurance of help, Bheema turned to Yudhishthira and said ‘Why don’t we launch an attack on the Kauravas without any delay? We should have no problem in mobilizing support from our friends.’
But Krishna strongly opposed this suggestion.
‘No, Bheema,’ he said. ‘War should be our last option. Let me first explore other avenues. Diplomacy has its own victory, no less rewarding than war. But I don’t say this out of weakness. My ultimate goal is still to vanquish the Kauravas, bring them to their knees and restore truth and justice.’
After Krishna left, Draupadi said to her husbands, ‘When divinity comes to our succour, we need not feel despondent. I will now banish all anxiety from my heart.’