Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
उच्चै:श्रवस्तुल्यबलं वायुवेगसमं जवे । जघान हयराजं तं यमुनावनवासिनम्,यमुनाके तटवर्ती वनमें उच्चै:श्रवाकें समान बलशाली और वायुके समान वेगवान् अश्वराज केशी रहता था। उसे श्रीकृष्णने मार डाला
uccaiḥśravastulyabalaṁ vāyuvegāsamaṁ jave | jaghāna hayarājaṁ taṁ yamunāvanavāsinam ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: في الغابة على ضفاف اليَمُنا كان يقيم ملك الخيل كِشي—قوياً كأوتشايهشرَفَس، سريعاً كالرّيح. فضربه شري كريشنا وأسقط ذلك المخلوق المهيب.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Extraordinary power and speed, when used to terrorize or harm, invite righteous restraint. The episode frames Kṛṣṇa’s act as protective—violence employed to remove a dangerous aggressor and re-establish safety, aligning strength with dharma rather than domination.
The narrator describes a fearsome horse-king, Keśī, living in the Yamunā-side forest, whose might is likened to the celestial horse Uccaiḥśravas and whose speed matches the wind. Kṛṣṇa kills Keśī, ending the threat posed by this powerful being.