Shloka 26
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
जरासंधो महेष्वासो नागायुतबलो युधि । सम्बन्धी वासुदेवश्व श्याला: सर्वे च पार्षता:,यहाँसे रातमें जब वे महात्मा पाण्डव चले जा रहे थे, उस समय उनका मार्ग रोककर भयंकर और पर्वतके समान विशालकाय किर्मीर उनके सामने खड़ा हो गया। युद्धकी श्लाघा रखनेवाले बलवानोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीमसेनने उस राक्षसको बलपूर्वक पकड़कर पशुकी तरह वैसे ही मार डाला, जैसे व्याप्र छोटे मृगको मार डालता है। राजन्! देखो, दिग्विजयके समय भीमसेनने उस महान धनुर्धर राजा जरासंधको भी युद्धमें मार गिराया, जिसमें दस हजार हाथियोंका बल था। (यह भी स्मरण रखना चाहिये कि) वसुदेवनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उनके सम्बन्धी हैं तथा द्रपदके सभी पुत्र उनके साले हैं
maitreya uvāca |
jarāsandho maheṣvāso nāgāyutabalo yudhi |
sambandhī vāsudevaś ca śyālāḥ sarve ca pārṣatāḥ ||
Maitreya said: Jarāsandha was a mighty archer, possessing in battle the strength of ten thousand elephants. Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is their kinsman, and all the sons of Pārṣata (Drupada) are their brothers-in-law. Thus, O King, the Pāṇḍavas are supported by proven valor and by powerful family alliances—facts that bear directly on questions of prudence, duty, and the likely outcome of conflict.
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores prudent ethical judgment in politics and conflict: one should assess not only personal virtue but also proven capability and alliances. Recognizing the Pāṇḍavas’ demonstrated strength and their ties to Kṛṣṇa and the Pāñcālas frames the dharmic and practical consequences of opposing them.
Maitreya is reminding the king of the Pāṇḍavas’ formidable record—Bhīma’s slaying of Jarāsandha, a warrior of immense might—and of their strong family connections: Kṛṣṇa as a close kinsman and Drupada’s sons as brothers-in-law. This functions as a warning and a contextual justification for the Pāṇḍavas’ standing.