Canto 10 - Chapter 72: Jarasandha killed

Discourse LXXII

Jarāsandha killed

Śrī Śuka began again : Parikṣit, one day, King Yudhiṣṭhira, while seated in his court surrounded by sages, Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, his own brothers (Bhima and others), preceptors, elders of the race, clansmen and relations as well as his kinsmen, addressed Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa indeed within their hearing (as follows). (1-2)

King Yudhiṣṭhira submitted : Govinda ! through the performance of the sovereign sacrifice, Rājasūya, I intend to worship You as well as the gods, who are but Your part manifestations. Kindly accomplish this desire of mine, O Lord ! (3)
The pair of wooden sandals You wear under Your lotus-like feet destroy all evil. Those holy persons who constantly worship them, meditate on them and extol them obtain release from the bondage of mundane existence. They get even worldly boons, if they seek for them. Others, however, do not get either. (4)
O God of gods, let these men of the world directly perceive the glory of worshipping Your lotus-like feet. Lord, kindly demonstrate to the Kuru and Śrījaya chiefs the destinies of those who worship and those who do not worship You. (5)
Lord, You are the Self of all, the Supreme Brahma, being of the nature of self-enjoyment and looking on all with an equal eye; the cognition of 'Self' and 'not Self' does not exist in You. Those who worship You win Your favour even as persons betaking themselves to the wishyielding tree gain their object. The degree of success attained by them is commensurate with the amount of service they have put forth and does not point to any perversity on Your part. (6)

The glorious Lord said : O King, your resolution is excellent. Through the performance of the Rājasūya sacrifice, your auspicious fame will extend to all the three world. (7)
This sovereign sacrifice, O king, is welcomed by the sages, manes, gods, all your friends and relations including Myself, and, in fact, by all beings. (8)
Conquering all the kings and bringing the world under your control, collect all necessary things and then perform the great sacrifice. (9)
O king, these brothers of yours are born of deities (like Indra, the wind-god and others), who are guardians of the world. You yourself are a man of wisdom and self-control and have conquered Me by your virtues. Those who have not controlled their mind and senses cannot win Me. (10)
Even the greatest of gods in this world cannot expect to overpower My devotee by means of his energy, glory, splendour and supernatural powers, much less any earthly being. (11)

Śrī Śuka continued : Parikṣit, hearing these words of the Almighty Lord, King Yudhiṣṭhira was extremely delighted. His face became cheerful like a fresh-blown lotus. He commissioned all his brothers to conquer the earth. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa infused His energy into the Pāṇḍavas and made them unconquerable. (12)
King Yudhiṣṭhira sent his youngest brother Sahadeva alongwith Śrījaya warriors to conquer the southern regions; he deputed Nakula alongwith the Matsyas to the west, Arjuna and the Kekayas to the north, and Bhima, accompanied by the Madras, to the east. (13)
O King, conquering all the kings by dint of their prowess, these warriors brought untold riches from the various quarters to king Yudhiṣṭhira who was preparing for the sacrifice. (14)
When Yudhiṣṭhira heard that Jarāsandha remained unsubdued, he became moody and began to muse. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa then laid before him the plan suggested by Uddhava: so the tradition goes. Thereupon Bhimasena, Arjuna and Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed the guise of Brāhmaṇas and went to Girivrajā (the modern Giridih), the capital of Jarāsandha. (15-16)
King Jarāsandha was a devotee of the Brāhmaṇas and scrupulous in the observance of the sacred duty of a householder. The three Kṣatriyas disguised as Brāhmaṇas went to Jarāsandha's palace at the hour appointed for the entertainment of unexpected guests. There they made their request to Jarāsandha as follows. (17)
"O king, may you be blessed. Know us (three) to be your guests come from a long distance. We have come with a definite purpose; therefore, please grant us our request. (18)
O king, a forbearing person can bear anything; the wicked can do anything; (in fact, there is nothing which he will regard as prohibited); and a generous donor will not hesitate to give away anything. And none is foreign to a man of undifferentiating outlook. (19)
If a capable men, through his mortal body, does not earn enduring fame, worthy of being sung by men of virtue, he deserves to be pitied and censured. (20)
Kings Hariścandra and Rantideva, Śibi, and Bali, the sage Mudgala (who lived on grains gleaned from the fields), the famous pigeon of the legend (who gave up his life for the sake of a fowler) and the fowler (who sacrificed his life in imitation of the pigeon's self-sacrificing act), and many more attained lasting happiness through the transient body and its belongings." (21)

Śrī Śuka went on : Parikṣit, from their tone, appearance and forearms bearing scars caused by the friction of bow-strings, Jarāsandha came to know that the newcomers were no Brāhmaṇas, but Kṣatriyas come in the guise of Brāhmaṇas. He had a hazy notion that he had seen them somewhere before. (22)
But he reflected, "Though Kṣatriyas, they have taken this guise of Brāhmaṇas (out of fear for Me). When they have gone to the length of seeking a gift from me, I shall give them even this body though difficult to part with. (23)
God Viṣṇu, appearing in the guise of a Brāhmaṇa, deprived Bali of his lordly position; and yet the unsullied fame of Bali is sung extensively in all directions. (24)
It is true, Viṣṇu had assumed that diminutive form of a Brāhmaṇa in order to return the ruling authority to its rightful owner Indra. Bali had come to know it and was opposed by Śukra, his preceptor; and yet he gave away the earth. (25)
This body is sure to perish one day. A Kṣatriya who does not endeavour to attain extensive fame through it, and does not live for the sake of the Brāhmaṇas alone, lives in vain." (26)
(Parikṣit), Jarāsandha was a liberal-minded king. Reflecting thus, he said to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna and Bhimasena, disguised as Brāhmaṇas, as follows:—"Brāhmaṇas, seek whatever you desire; I am prepared to give you everything, even my head." (27)

The glorious Lord said : " O great king, we are no Brāhmaṇas seeking food from you. We have come here in search of a combat. If it pleases you, grant us the boon of a single combat with you. (28)
That is Bhima son of Kunti, he is his younger brother, Arjuna, and know Me to be their cousin, Kṛṣṇa, your former adversary." (29)
Hearing these words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Jarāsandha laughed loudly and, filled with rage, said, " If you seek a combat, fools, I shall certainly offer fight with you. (30)
But, Kṛṣṇa, I shall not fight with you. You are a coward and rose balance of mind in battle. Afraid of me you abandoned your city, Mathurā, and took shelter in the sea. (31)
As for Arjuna, he is no warrior. He is junior to me in age and has no great prowess either. He is, therefore, no match for me. Bhima (alone) is equal in strength to me." (32)
With these words Jarāsandha gave a huge mace to Bhimasena, and himself taking up another, came out of the city. (33)
Going to the arena these two warriors who were furious in battle, closed with and struck each other with their respective maces, which were as hard as the thunderbolt. (34)
They began to move right and left, manoeuvring for position with such adroitness that they looked like two actors playing at fight on a public stage. (35)
When they hurled their maces at each other, the rattling noise resembled the clap of thunder or the sound of impact between the tusks of two fighting tuskers. (36)
Just as when two elephants burning with rage fight with each other, with twigs of the sun-plant and the twigs are reduced to powder, even so the maces of the two warriors hurled with the full force of their arms against each other's shoulders, hips, feet, hands, thighs and collar-bones, were reduced to pulp. (37)
Thus when their maces fell broken, the two warriors full of rage struck each other with their fists as hard as steel. As they fought like two elephants, the blows they dealt at each other with their palms produced a sound as sharp as the clap of thunder. (38)
Parikṣit, Jarāsandha and Bhimasena were equally matched so far as training, strength and vigour were concerned and both fought with unabated violence; yet their contest remained undecided. (39)
Though engaged in a mortal fight during the day-time, they lived as friends during the nights. In this way twenty-seven days passed. (40)

Parikṣit, on the twenty-eighth day Bhima said to his cousin, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, I am unable to overthrow Jarāsandha in a duel." (41)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who knew the secret of Jarāsandha's birth and death, (viz.,) how the demoness Jarā joined his body divided into two and conferred life on him, considered the matter and comforting Bhimasena infused His own strength into the latter. (42)
Having hit upon the plan of overthrowing the enemy, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose insight was infallible, took up a twig and split it into two by way of a signal to demonstrate to Bhimasena how to do it. (43)
The foremost warrior of enormous strength, Bhima, understood what was to be conveyed to him and taking hold of Jarāsandha by the feet threw him on the ground. (44)
Pressing a foot of the enemy with one foot, he took hold of the other with both his hands, and split him into two from the anus, as a huge elephant splits up a twig. (45)
The people saw the two halves of Jarāsandha's person each with one foot, one thigh, one testicle, one hip, half the back and one breast; one shoulder, one arm, one eye, one eyebrow and one ear. (46)
Great was the outcry among his subjects when Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, fell. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna greeted Bhimasena by embracing him. (47)
The Almighty Lord, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the life-giver of all creatures; no one can fathom His greatness. Having installed Jarāsandha's son, Sahadeva, on the throne of Magadha, he set at liberty all the kings who had been imprisoned by Jarāsandha. (48)

Thus ends the seventy-second discourse entitled "Jarāsandha killed", in the latter half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.