Shloka 31
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya Resolve and the Slaying of Jarāsandha
न त्वया भीरुणा योत्स्ये युधि विक्लवतेजसा । मथुरां स्वपुरीं त्यक्त्वा समुद्रं शरणं गत: ॥ ३१ ॥
na tvayā bhīruṇā yotsye yudhi viklava-tejasā mathurāṁ sva-purīṁ tyaktvā samudraṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥ
“But I will not fight with You, O Kṛṣṇa, for You are a coward. In the midst of battle Your strength failed, and You abandoned Your own capital, Mathurā, to take shelter in the sea.”
FAQs
In this verse Jarāsandha mocks Kṛṣṇa for relocating from Mathurā to the sea-side fortress of Dvārakā, portraying it as fear, though the move was part of Kṛṣṇa’s larger divine strategy to protect His people and accomplish His mission.
Jarāsandha speaks this verse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, taunting Him and challenging His valor before battle.
Do not judge wise restraint as weakness—sometimes stepping back from conflict and choosing a safer, strategic course protects others and serves a higher purpose.