Shloka 28
Jarāsandha-nipātana, rāja-mokṣa, and rājasūya-sāhāyya-prārthanā
Jarāsandha’s fall, liberation of kings, and request for support
क्षत्रियस्यैतदेवाहुर्धम्य कृष्णोपजीवनम् । विक्रम्प वशमानीय कामतो यत् समाचरेत्,श्रीकृष्ण! क्षत्रियके लिये तो यह धर्मानुकूल जीविका बतायी गयी है कि वह पराक्रम करके शत्रुको अपने वशमें लाकर फिर उसके साथ मनमाना बर्ताव करे
kṣatriyasyaitad evāhur dharmyaṃ kṛṣṇopajīvanam | vikramya vaśam ānīya kāmato yat samācaret śrīkṛṣṇa |
Jarasandha said: “For a kṣatriya, they declare this alone to be a livelihood in accord with dharma: to display valor, bring the enemy under one’s power, and then deal with him as one pleases, O Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
जरासंध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Jarasandha asserts a hardline doctrine of kṣatriya conduct: conquest and subjugation are presented as a dharma-approved livelihood, and once an enemy is controlled, the victor may treat him at will. The verse is ethically revealing because it equates righteousness with sheer dominance, exposing a self-serving interpretation of dharma.
In the Sabha Parva context, Jarasandha addresses Śrī Kṛṣṇa while defending his own political-military stance. He argues that a warrior-king’s proper way is to overpower foes and then act freely toward them, thereby justifying coercion as legitimate royal practice.