Shloka 46
सहदेवं तत्तनयं भगवान् भूतभावन: । अभ्यषिञ्चदमेयात्मा मगधानां पतिं प्रभु: । मोचयामास राजन्यान्संरुद्धा मागधेन ये ॥ ४६ ॥
sahadevaṁ tat-tanayaṁ bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ abhyaṣiñcad ameyātmā magadhānāṁ patiṁ prabhuḥ mocayām āsa rājanyān saṁruddhā māgadhena ye
Der Herr Bhagavān, Erhalter und Wohltäter aller Wesen, von unermeßlicher Wesensnatur, salbte Sahadeva, Jarāsandhas Sohn, zum Herrscher über Magadha; danach befreite Er alle Könige, die Magadha gefangen hielt.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Although Jarāsandha was killed, neither Kṛṣṇa nor the two Pāṇḍava brothers made a claim to the throne. Their purpose in killing Jarāsandha was to stop him from creating a disturbance to the proper discharge of world peace. A demon always creates disturbances, whereas a demigod always tries to keep peace in the world. The mission of Lord Kṛṣṇa is to give protection to the righteous persons and to kill the demons who disturb a peaceful situation. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa immediately called for the son of Jarāsandha, whose name was Sahadeva, and with due ritualistic ceremonies the Lord asked him to occupy the seat of his father and reign over the kingdom peacefully. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of the whole cosmic creation, and He wants everyone to live peacefully and execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. After installing Sahadeva on the throne, He released all the kings and princes who had been imprisoned unnecessarily by Jarāsandha.”
FAQs
In this verse, Śukadeva describes how Krishna, after arranging the rightful rule in Magadha, releases the many royal princes who had been confined by the Magadhan ruler (Jarāsandha).
After Jarāsandha’s fall, Krishna ensures stable, dharmic governance by appointing a legitimate successor connected to Sahadeva, thereby restoring order in Magadha rather than leaving a power vacuum.
Act with responsibility after removing a problem: establish a constructive alternative (good leadership and systems) and also help those harmed by the previous injustice (freeing and rehabilitating the oppressed).