Shloka 39
Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)
ते चतुष्पथनिक्षिप्ते जरा नामाथ राक्षसी । जग्राह मनुजव्याप्र मांसशोणितभोजना,पुरुषसिंह! चौराहेपर फेंके हुए उन टुकड़ोंको रक्त और मांस खानेवाली जरा नामकी एक राक्षसीने उठा लिया
te catuṣpatha-nikṣipte jarā nāmātha rākṣasī | jagrāha manuja-vyāghra māṃsa-śoṇita-bhojanā ||
Lorsque ces morceaux furent jetés à un carrefour, une rākṣasī nommée Jarā—qui se nourrissait de chair et de sang—les ramassa, ô tigre parmi les hommes.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral causality: careless, improper acts—symbolized by discarding remains at a crossroads—can attract destructive influences. Ethically, it warns that negligence and impurity do not remain private; they create conditions for further harm.
Some pieces have been thrown at a crossroads. A flesh-and-blood-eating rākṣasī named Jarā comes upon them and takes them up, setting up the next development in the story.