Shloka 28
Jarāsandha as Obstacle to the Rājasūya — Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Genealogical Brief
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 13
श्रुत्वा सुहृद्गचस्तच्च जानंश्वाप्पात्मन: क्षमम् । पुनः पुनर्मनो दध्ने राजसूयाय भारत,भारत! उन्होंने सुहदोंका वह सम्मतिसूचक वचन सुनकर तथा यह भी जानते हुए कि राजसूययज्ञ अपने लिये साध्य है, उसके विषयमें बारम्बार मन-ही-मन विचार किया
śrutvā suhṛdgaś ca tac ca jñānaṃś cāpy ātmanaḥ kṣamam | punaḥ punar mano dadhne rājasūyāya bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having heard that approving counsel of his well-wishing friends, and knowing too that the Rājasūya sacrifice lay within his own power to accomplish, O Bhārata, he again and again set his mind upon it—turning the matter over inwardly with deliberate resolve.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sound counsel from well-wishers should be weighed together with sober self-assessment. The verse highlights ethical deliberation: undertaking a grand act (like the Rājasūya) is appropriate when it is both endorsed by trusted advisors and truly within one’s capacity.
After hearing his friends’ approving words and recognizing that the Rājasūya is achievable for him, the king repeatedly reflects on it and fixes his intention on performing the sacrifice.