Shloka 48
Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)
सा तं बालमुपादाय मेघलेखेव भास्करम् । कृत्वा च मानुषं रूपमुवाच वसुधाधिपम्
sā taṃ bālam upādāya meghalekheva bhāskaram | kṛtvā ca mānuṣaṃ rūpam uvāca vasudhādhipam ||
So entschlossen nahm die Rākṣasī das Kind in die Arme—wie ein Wolkenband, das die Sonne zu umhüllen scheint—nahm menschliche Gestalt an und sprach zum Herrn des Landes, dem König.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral risk of judging by appearances: a being of harmful nature can adopt a pleasing human guise to gain access to authority. It implicitly urges vigilance and discernment in governance and ethical decision-making, especially when the vulnerable (a child) are involved.
A rākṣasī lifts a child into her lap/arms, then disguises herself in human form and speaks to the king. The simile compares her holding the child to clouds covering the sun, suggesting concealment and ominous intent beneath an outwardly ordinary appearance.