Shloka 18
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
बार्हद्रथो जरासंधस्तद् विद्धि भरतर्षभ । न चैनमनुरुद्धयन्ते कुलान्येकशतं नृपा: । तस्मादिह बलादेव साम्राज्यं कुरुते हि सः
bārhadratho jarāsandhas tad viddhi bharatarṣabha | na cainam anuruddhayante kulāny ekaśataṁ nṛpāḥ | tasmād iha balād eva sāmrājyaṁ kurute hi saḥ ||
Know this, O bull among the Bharatas: the obstacle in your path is Jarāsandha, the son of Bṛhadratha. A hundred royal lineages do not willingly submit to him; therefore, here he establishes his sovereignty only by sheer force.
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Krishna highlights a principle of righteous governance: when sovereignty is built primarily on force rather than dharmic legitimacy and willing allegiance, it becomes an ethical and practical obstacle—provoking noncompliance and making stable rule difficult.
Krishna identifies Jarāsandha (son of Bṛhadratha) as the key impediment to the addressee’s aims. He notes that many royal lineages do not accept Jarāsandha’s authority voluntarily, so Jarāsandha maintains and expands his dominion through coercive power.