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 ||
Sabe esto, oh toro entre los Bhāratas: el obstáculo en tu camino es Jarāsandha, hijo de Bṛhadratha. Cien linajes reales no se someten a él de buen grado; por eso, aquí establece su soberanía sólo por la fuerza.
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.