Shloka 12
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
जरासंध॑ महाबाहुमुपायेन जनार्दन: । परेण घातयामास समग्राक्षीहिणीपतिम्,जनार्दन श्रीकृष्णने समस्त अक्षौहिणी सेनाओंके अधिपति महाबाहु जरासंधको उपायपूर्वक दूसरे योद्धा (भीमसेन)-के द्वारा मरवा दिया
Jarāsandhaṁ mahābāhum upāyena Janārdanaḥ | pareṇa ghātayāmāsa samagrākṣauhiṇīpatim ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa), employing a strategic means rather than direct force, caused the mighty-armed Jarāsandha—lord of a complete akṣauhiṇī—to be slain by another warrior (Bhīmasena). The line underscores that in epic politics and warfare, outcomes are often secured through prudent strategy, raising ethical questions about means and ends even when confronting a formidable, oppressive power.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights upāya (strategic means) as a powerful instrument in dharmic conflict: Kṛṣṇa achieves a necessary political-moral outcome not by direct combat but by guiding events through an appropriate agent. It invites reflection on the ethics of indirect action—how intention, context, and the nature of the adversary shape what is considered permissible.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) arranged for Jarāsandha, a mighty ruler commanding a full akṣauhiṇī, to be killed through another warrior—understood here as Bhīma—rather than by Kṛṣṇa himself, emphasizing deliberate strategy in eliminating a powerful enemy.