Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
उच्चै:श्रवस्तुल्यबलं वायुवेगसमं जवे । जघान हयराजं तं यमुनावनवासिनम्,यमुनाके तटवर्ती वनमें उच्चै:श्रवाकें समान बलशाली और वायुके समान वेगवान् अश्वराज केशी रहता था। उसे श्रीकृष्णने मार डाला
uccaiḥśravastulyabalaṁ vāyuvegāsamaṁ jave | jaghāna hayarājaṁ taṁ yamunāvanavāsinam ||
ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಯಮುನಾ ತೀರದ ಅರಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸಿಸಿದ್ದ ಆ ಅಶ್ವರಾಜ ಕೇಶಿ ಉಚ್ಚೈಃಶ್ರವಸಿನಂತೆ ಬಲಿಷ್ಠನಾಗಿಯೂ, ಗಾಳಿಯಂತೆ ವೇಗವಂತನಾಗಿಯೂ ಇದ್ದನು; ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣನು ಅವನನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸಿದನು।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Extraordinary power and speed, when used to terrorize or harm, invite righteous restraint. The episode frames Kṛṣṇa’s act as protective—violence employed to remove a dangerous aggressor and re-establish safety, aligning strength with dharma rather than domination.
The narrator describes a fearsome horse-king, Keśī, living in the Yamunā-side forest, whose might is likened to the celestial horse Uccaiḥśravas and whose speed matches the wind. Kṛṣṇa kills Keśī, ending the threat posed by this powerful being.