Shloka 28
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
तथोत्तरां दिशं चापि परित्यज्य भयार्दिता: । मत्स्या: संन्यस्तपादाश्न दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रिता:,शूरसेन, भद्रकार, बोध, शाल्व, पटच्चर, सुस्थल, सुकुट्ट, कुलिन्द, कुन्ति तथा शाल्वायन आदि राजा भी अपने भाइयों तथा सेवकोंके साथ दक्षिण दिशामें भाग गये हैं। जो लोग दक्षिण पंचाल एवं पूर्वी कुन्तिप्रदेशमें रहते थे, वे सभी क्षत्रिय तथा कोशल, मत्स्य, संन्यस्तपाद आदि राजपूत भी जरासंधके भयसे पीड़ित हो उत्तर दिशाको छोड़कर दक्षिण दिशाका ही आश्रय ले चुके हैं
tathottarāṃ diśaṃ cāpi parityajya bhayārditāḥ | matsyāḥ saṃnyastapādāś ca dakṣiṇāṃ diśam āśritāḥ ||
Likewise, stricken with fear, they abandoned the northern quarter as well. The Matsyas and the Saṃnyastapādas, taking refuge in the southern direction, fled—driven by dread of Jarāsandha’s power.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a political-ethical reality: when power becomes coercive and fear-driven, it destabilizes dharma in the realm—leading to flight, loss of sovereignty, and the suffering of communities. It implicitly critiques tyranny by showing its social consequence: displacement and the collapse of normal order.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes how, under the pressure and fear caused by Jarāsandha’s dominance, rulers and peoples (notably the Matsyas and Saṃnyastapādas) abandon the northern regions and seek refuge in the south.