Shloka 113
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
वक्र: करूषाधिपतिर्मायायोधी महाबल: । युधिष्ठिर! मायायुद्ध करनेवाला महाबली करूषराज दन्तवक्र भी जरासंधके सामने शिष्यकी भाँति हाथ जोड़े खड़ा रहता है
Dantavakraḥ Karūṣādhipatir māyāyodhī mahābalaḥ | Yudhiṣṭhira, māyāyuddha-karaṇe vālaḥ mahābalī Karūṣarājaḥ Dantavakro 'pi Jarāsandhasya samakṣaṃ śiṣya iva hastau saṃyojya tiṣṭhati |
Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, Dantavakra—raja Karūṣa yang mahaperkasa, termasyhur sebagai pejuang yang memakai tipu daya dan ilusi—bahkan ia pun berdiri di hadapan Jarāsandha dengan tangan terkatup, laksana murid di depan guru.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that might and cleverness (even mastery of māyāyuddha) do not guarantee autonomy; social-political realities—fear, allegiance, or dependence—can make even a powerful ruler behave with outward submission. Ethically, it invites reflection on how power operates through hierarchy and coercion, not merely through personal valor.
Kṛṣṇa points out to Yudhiṣṭhira that Dantavakra, though renowned as a strong and crafty warrior-king of Karūṣa, nevertheless stands before Jarāsandha with folded hands like a disciple—indicating Jarāsandha’s dominance over other kings and the atmosphere of compelled deference around him.