Shloka 38
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
कृत्स्नेयं पृथिवी देवी जरासंधेन धीमता । मागधेन्द्रेण बलिना वशे कृत्वा प्रतापिता,परम बुद्धिमान् और बलवान् महाबली मगधराज जरासंधने यह सारी पृथिवी अपने वशमें करके इसे पीड़ा देना प्रारम्भ किया था, परंतु भीमसेनने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके साथ उसके अन्तः:पुरमें जाकर उस महापराक्रमी नरेशको मार गिराया
kṛtsneyam pṛthivī devī jarāsandhena dhīmatā | māgadhendreṇa balinā vaśe kṛtvā pratāpitā | parama-buddhimān ca balavān mahābalī magadharāja jarāsandhena iyaṃ sarvā pṛthivī sva-vaśaṃ nītvā pīḍayituṃ prārabdhā | kintu bhīmasenena bhagavatā śrīkṛṣṇena sārdham antaḥpure gatvā sa mahāparākramī nareśo nihataḥ |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “The whole earth, as it were a goddess, was brought under the control of the wise and mighty lord of Magadha, Jarāsandha, and was made to suffer under his oppression. Yet Bhīmasena, accompanied by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, entered his inner palace and struck down that highly valorous king. The passage contrasts tyrannical domination with the righteous removal of a violent oppressor, presenting strength as ethically justified only when aligned with dharma.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and intelligence become ethically meaningful only when aligned with dharma. Jarāsandha’s might is portrayed as oppressive domination of the world, while Bhīma’s force—guided by Kṛṣṇa—functions as the removal of a harmful tyrant, implying that strength is justified when it protects the wider order and relieves suffering.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls how Jarāsandha, the powerful king of Magadha, had subjugated and tormented the earth (the world’s kingdoms). He then notes that Bhīma, together with Kṛṣṇa, entered Jarāsandha’s inner palace and killed him, ending his oppressive rule.