Shloka 12
Jarāsandha–Bhīma Niyuddha-prastāvaḥ
Commencement of the Regulated Duel
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्क्त्वा तत: सर्वे भ्रातरो विपुलीजस:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! ऐसी बातें करते हुए वे सभी महातेजस्वी भाई श्रीकृष्ण, अर्जुन और भीमसेन मगधकी राजधानीमें प्रवेश करनेके लिये चल पड़े। वह नगर चारों वर्णोके लोगोंसे भरा-पूरा था। उसमें रहनेवाले सभी लोग हृष्ट-पुष्ट दिखायी देते थे
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evam uktvā tataḥ sarve bhrātaro vipulaujasaḥ magadhasya rājadhānīṃ praviṣṭuṃ prasthitāḥ. sā nagarī cāturvarṇyajanākīrṇā āsīt; tatra nivāsinaḥ sarve hṛṣṭa-puṣṭā iva dṛśyante sma.
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, all those brothers, endowed with great vigor, set out to enter the capital of Magadha. The city was thronged with people of all four social orders, and its inhabitants appeared cheerful and well-nourished.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical backdrop of political action: a prosperous, orderly city suggests competent governance and social stability, reminding the reader that contests for power unfold within—and affect—the welfare of ordinary people across the four social orders.
After speaking among themselves, the mighty brothers—identified here as Śrīkṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and Bhīmasena—proceed to enter the capital of Magadha. The narrator describes the city as crowded with people of all four varṇas, whose robust and cheerful appearance signals prosperity.