Shloka 33
Jarāsandha as Obstacle to the Rājasūya — Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Genealogical Brief
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 13
स तु राजा महाप्राज्ञ: पुनरेवात्मना55त्मवान्,तदनन्तर मनको वशमें रखनेवाले महाबुद्धिमान् राजा युधिष्लिरने सम्पूर्ण लोकोंके हितकी इच्छासे पुनः: इस विषयपर मन-ही-मन विचार किया--'जो बुद्धिमान् अपनी शक्ति और साधनोंको देखकर तथा देश, काल, आय और व्ययको बुद्धिके द्वारा भलीभाँति समझ करके कार्य आरम्भ करता है, वह कष्टमें नहीं पड़ता। केवल अपने ही निश्चयसे यज्ञका आरम्भ नहीं किया जाता।” ऐसा समझकर यत्नपूर्वक कार्यभार वहन करनेवाले युधिष्छिरने उस कार्यके विषयमें पूर्ण निश्चय करनेके लिये जनार्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको ही सब लोगोंसे उत्तम माना और वे मन-ही-मन उन अप्रमेय महाबाहु श्रीहरिकी शरणमें गये, जो अजन्मा होते हुए भी धर्म एवं साधु पुरुषोंकी रक्षा आदिकी इच्छासे मनुष्यलोकमें अवतीर्ण हुए थे
sa tu rājā mahāprājñaḥ punar evātmanātmavān, tad-anantaraṃ manako vaśaṃ meṃ rakhanevāle mahābuddhimān rājā yudhiṣṭhirane sampūrṇa lokōṃ ke hitakī icchā se punaḥ as viṣaya par mana-hī-mana vicāra kiyā— “yo buddhimān ātmanaḥ śakti-sādhanaṃ dṛṣṭvā tathā deśa-kāla-āya-vyayaṃ buddhyā bhali-bhāṃti samjha kar kārya ārambha kartā hai, sa kaṣṭa meṃ nahīṃ paṛtā. kevala apane hī niścaya se yajña kā ārambha nahīṃ kiyā jātā.” evaṃ samjha kar yatnapūrvak kārya-bhāra vahana karanevāle yudhiṣṭhirane tasya kāryasya viṣaye pūrṇa-niścaya karane ke liye janārdana bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇako hī sab logoṃ se uttama mānā, aur ve mana-hī-mana un aprameya mahābāhu śrīharikī śaraṇa meṃ gaye, jo ajanmā hote hue bhī dharma evaṃ sādhu-puruṣoṃ kī rakṣā ādi kī icchā se manuṣya-lokeṃ avatīrṇa hue the.
Vaiśampāyana said: The supremely intelligent king, Yudhiṣṭhira—self-controlled and reflective—again pondered inwardly, wishing for the welfare of all worlds. He reasoned that a wise person, after assessing his own strength and resources and carefully weighing place, time, income, and expenditure, begins an undertaking without falling into distress; and that a sacrifice should not be commenced merely on the basis of one’s private resolve. Having understood this, Yudhiṣṭhira, who bore the burden of responsibility with deliberate effort, judged Janārdana, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, to be the best among all for arriving at a final decision in that matter. In his heart he sought refuge in that immeasurable, mighty-armed Śrī Hari—unborn, yet descended into the human world out of the will to protect dharma and safeguard the righteous.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Undertakings—especially public, sacred acts like a yajña—should begin only after sober assessment of capacity and conditions (place, time, resources, costs). Personal resolve alone is insufficient; responsible leadership seeks sound counsel and aligns action with dharma and the common good.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how to proceed with a major sacrificial undertaking. Recognizing the need for a fully grounded decision, he regards Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana/Śrī Hari) as the सर्वोत्तम guide and inwardly takes refuge in him, recalling his divine descent for the protection of dharma and the righteous.