Shloka 23
मागधगिरिव्रजप्रवेशः — Entry into Girivraja and Jarāsandha’s Protocol Inquiry
भ्रामयित्वा शतगुणमेकोनं येन भारत । गदा क्षिप्ता बलवता मागधेन गिरिव्रजात्
bhrāmayitvā śataguṇam ekonaṁ yena bhārata | gadā kṣiptā balavatā māgadhena girivrajāt ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Bhārata, nachdem der mächtige König von Magadha seine Keule neunundneunzigmal geschwungen hatte, schleuderte er sie mit großer Wucht von Girivraja in Richtung Mathurā. Jene vortreffliche Keule flog bis nach Mathurā und fiel dort nieder, nachdem sie neunundneunzig Yojanas zurückgelegt hatte. In jenen Tagen weilte Śrī Kṛṣṇa, berühmt für wunderbare Taten, in Mathurā.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked royal might and enmity express themselves through displays of force. Ethically, it frames power as morally ambiguous: extraordinary strength can become a vehicle for aggression unless governed by restraint and righteous purpose.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a feat of the Magadhan king (Jarāsandha): he whirls his mace ninety-nine times and hurls it from Girivraja toward Mathurā, where it lands after traveling ninety-nine yojanas; at that time Kṛṣṇa is residing in Mathurā.