Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 33
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
दाता ब्राह्मणसत्कर्ता ब्रह्मभूतो द्विजप्रिय: | राज्ञो मागधसंरुद्धान् मोक्षयिष्यति यादव:
dātā brāhmaṇa-satkartā brahma-bhūto dvija-priyaḥ | rājño māgadha-saṃruddhān mokṣayiṣyati yādavaḥ, bhagavān vāsudevaḥ ||
The Lord said: “He will be a generous giver, one who honors and reveres brāhmaṇas, established in the spirit of Brahman, and devoted to the twice-born. That Yādava—Bhagavān Vāsudeva—will free the kings imprisoned by the Magadhan ruler, releasing them from bondage.”
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal protector-leader: generous, reverent toward brāhmaṇas, spiritually grounded (brahma-bhūta), and committed to rescuing the unjustly confined—showing that dharma includes both inner virtue and active protection of others.
Īśvara foretells that Bhagavān Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), the Yādava, will liberate many kings who have been imprisoned by the Magadhan ruler (understood as Jarāsandha), freeing them from captivity.