Shloka 54
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
त्रियोजनायतं सद्म त्रिस्कन्धं योजनावधि
triyojanāyataṃ sadma triskandhaṃ yojanāvadhi | raivatakī durgakī lambāī triyojanikā | ekaika-yojane senānāṃ tritridalāṇāṃ chāvanī | pratyeka-yojanānte śataśata-dvārāṇi senābhiḥ surakṣitāni | vīrāṇāṃ parākrama eva tasya gaḍhasya pradhāna-phāṭakaḥ | yuddhe unmattavat parākrama-pradarśakair aṣṭādaśa yādava-vaṃśyaiḥ kṣatriyaiḥ sa durgaḥ surakṣitaḥ ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa dit : La forteresse de Raivataka s’étend sur trois yojanas. Elle est disposée en trois degrés, avec, à chaque yojana, des campements de trois divisions de troupes. À l’extrémité de chaque yojana se dressent cent portes, gardées par l’armée. Pourtant, la véritable porte maîtresse de ce bastion, c’est la vaillance de ses héros. Dix-huit kṣatriyas de la lignée des Yādava la défendent, ivres de l’ardeur du combat et d’une intrépidité farouche.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that fortifications and gates matter, but the decisive protection of a realm is the disciplined valor and readiness of its defenders—an expression of kṣatriya-dharma where courage and martial competence function as the true ‘main gate’ of security.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the stronghold at Raivataka: its three-yojana extent, tiered arrangement, troop encampments, and numerous guarded gates, concluding that it is ultimately safeguarded by the heroic prowess of eighteen Yādava Kṣatriyas.