Shloka 10
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya Resolve and the Slaying of Jarāsandha
एते ते भ्रातरो राजल्ँ लोकपालांशसम्भवा: । जितोऽस्म्यात्मवता तेऽहं दुर्जयो योऽकृतात्मभि: ॥ १० ॥
ete te bhrātaro rājaḻ loka-pālāṁśa-sambhavāḥ jito ’smy ātmavatā te ’haṁ durjayo yo ’kṛtātmabhiḥ
O König, diese deine Brüder sind als Teilmanifestationen der Halbgötter geboren, die die verschiedenen Welten beherrschen. Und du bist so selbstbeherrscht, dass du sogar Mich besiegt hast, der für Unbeherrschte unbezwingbar ist.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa, “It is said that Bhīma was born of the demigod Vāyu and that Arjuna was born of the demigod Indra, whereas King Yudhiṣṭhira himself was born of the demigod Yamarāja.” Śrīla Prabhupāda goes on to state, “Lord Kṛṣṇa told King Yudhiṣṭhira that He becomes conquered by the love of one who has conquered his senses. One who has not conquered his senses cannot conquer the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the secret of devotional service. To conquer the senses means to engage them constantly in the service of the Lord. The specific qualification of all the Pāṇḍava brothers was that they always engaged their senses in the service of the Lord. One who thus engages his senses becomes purified, and with purified senses one can actually render service to the Lord. The Lord can thus be conquered by the devotee through loving transcendental service.”
FAQs
This verse teaches that real conquering power is rooted in self-mastery: Jarasandha admits he was defeated specifically because Bhima was ātmavān (self-controlled), while those without inner discipline cannot overcome such formidable opposition.
After being defeated in combat, Jarasandha acknowledges Bhima’s divine stature (born from Lokapala portions) and credits Bhima’s self-control as the decisive reason for his victory, highlighting the Bhagavatam theme that inner virtue empowers outer success.
Cultivate steady discipline—control of anger, speech, and impulses—because the verse implies that many “unconquerable” challenges become manageable when one is inwardly regulated and focused.