Shloka 13
Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)
अक्षौहिणीनां तिसृणां पति: समरदर्पित: । राजा बृहद्रथो नाम मगधाधिपतिर्बली
akṣauhīṇīnāṃ tisṛṇāṃ patiḥ samaradarpitaḥ | rājā bṛhadratho nāma magadhādhipatir balī ||
Kṛṣṇa sprach: „In Magadha gab es einen mächtigen König namens Bṛhadratha, den Herrn von Magadha. Er befehligte drei Akṣauhiṇīs an Truppen und, vom Stolz der Schlacht geschwollen, kämpfte er mit großer kriegerischer Überheblichkeit.“
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how immense power and military strength can be accompanied by battlefield pride (darpa). In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such pride is a moral vulnerability: it clouds judgment and often precedes downfall, reminding rulers that strength should be governed by restraint and dharma.
Kṛṣṇa is describing a prominent Magadhan king, Bṛhadratha, emphasizing his political stature and military capacity—three akṣauhiṇīs—and his aggressive, prideful disposition in war. This serves as background characterization within the broader account being narrated in this section of the Sabha Parva.