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even if Padmanabha were to restore Draupadi to Krsna and the Pandavas, a fight ending in Padmanabha's death was inevitable.
Daruka accordingly approached Padmanabha, greeted him with appropriate courtesy and out of respect for the king folded his hands and told him that all this was out of his personal courtesy for the king. But he quickly changed the tone of his voice, the expression on his face and arrogantly put his foot down on the foot-rest of the king and thrust Krsna's letter on the point of his lance at him. He also added that Kṛṣṇa had personally come there to effect the release of Draupadi.
Padmanabha became furious, knitted his eyebrows and thundered out that he would never hand over Draupadi to Krsna. He was ready for a fight even at that very minute. However, he granted safe conduct to Daruka who went back to Krsna and narrated the whole episode.
Padmanabha summoned his commander-in-chief and ordered to mobilise the best of his army units. Thus fully equipped and himself on his excellent elephant, Padmanabha proceeded to meet Krsna's challenge. Krsna asked the Pandava brothers whether they would like to take on Padmanabha or leave him to him and only stand by to watch the fight. The five Pandavas said they would fight rather that be mere spectators. They rushed against Padmanabha but he was so tremendously powerful that he routed all the five brothers and sent them packing in four directions, with their flags and banners all destroyed. They thought it impossible to hold their own against Padmanabha and begged of Krsna to tackle him.
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Krsna picked up his Pañcajanya conch, milk white in colour and blew it in a full blast to announce his own entry in the fray. The blast was so terrific that one third of Padmanabha's army was routed by merely the sound of it. Krsna then picked up his bow and fastened the bow string to it and made a twanging sound. Another one third of Padmanabha's army was repulsed by the sound of it. Then the king Padmanabha realising how powerless he had thus become quickly retreated to his own capital, Aparakankā, and as soon as he got inside the walls of the town, shut all the gates. Krsna who came in hot pursuit got off from his chariot and transformed himself
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