Shloka 23
Jarāsandha–Vāsudeva Saṃvāda: Kṣātra-Dharma, Pride, and the Ethics of Coercion
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 20
अमषदिभिततप्तानां ज्ञात्यर्थ मुख्यतेजसाम् । रविसोमाग्निवपुषां दीप्तमासीत् तदा वपु:
amṛṣadbhir ataptānāṁ jñāty-arthaṁ mukhya-tejasām | ravi-somāgni-vapuṣāṁ dīptam āsīt tadā vapuḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。耐え難い憤りと艱難に煽られて、彼らの第一の威力は燃え立ち、親族を救い、その安寧を図るために向けられた。そのとき、日・月・火のごとく輝く身をもつ三人の姿は、まばゆく炎のように照り映え、ダルマと親族への義務のために、ジャラーサンダの没落が必然であることを告げるかのようであった。
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic motivation: intense power (tejas) is justified when directed toward protecting and liberating one’s kin and upholding righteous duty, not for personal cruelty. Righteous resolve can appear as ‘fire-like’ energy when grounded in obligation and justice.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the protagonists’ fierce, luminous readiness—likened to the sun, moon, and fire—arising from intolerable provocation and the aim of saving their relatives. This radiance signals their determination and foreshadows Jarāsandha’s impending defeat.