Shloka 5
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
प्रलम्बं नरकं जम्भं पीठं चापि महासुरम् | मुरं चान्तकसंकाशमवधीत् पुष्करेक्षण:,तत्पश्चात् कमलनयन श्रीकृष्णने प्रलम्ब, नरकासुर, जम्भासुर, पीठ नामक महान् असुर और यमराजसदृश मुरका भी संहार किया
pralambaṁ narakaṁ jambhaṁ pīṭhaṁ cāpi mahāsuram | muraṁ cāntakasaṅkāśam avadhīt puṣkarekṣaṇaḥ ||
Then Puṣkarekṣaṇa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the lotus-eyed one) slew Pralamba, Naraka, Jambha, and the great demon named Pīṭha, and also Mura, who was terrible like Antaka (Death).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic principle: overwhelming power is justified when used to end violent oppression and restore moral order. By recalling Kṛṣṇa’s slaying of notorious asuras, it frames him as a protector whose force serves the welfare of the world rather than personal gain.
Vaiśampāyana lists famous demons—Pralamba, Naraka, Jambha, Pīṭha, and Mura—whom the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa slew in earlier exploits. In the Drona Parva context, this functions as a reminder of Kṛṣṇa’s proven might and his role as a decisive agent against adharma.