Shloka 5

Jarāsandha-prastāvaḥ — Nīti-cintā ca Jarāsandhasya janma-vṛttāntaḥ

The Jarāsandha Prelude: Strategic Counsel and Birth Account

Devanagari script

यथाहं विमृशाम्येकस्तत्‌ तावच्छुयतां मम । संन्यासं रोचये साधु कार्यस्यास्य जनार्दन | प्रतिहन्ति मनो मे5द्य राजसूयो दुराहर:,जनार्दन! इस विषयमें मैं अकेले जैसा सोचता हूँ, मेरे उस विचारको आप सुनें। मुझे तो इस कार्यको छोड़ देना ही अच्छा लगता है। राजसूयका अनुष्ठान बहुत कठिन है। अब यह मेरे मनको निरुत्साह कर रहा है

Transliteration

yathāhaṁ vimṛśāmy ekas tat tāvac chruyatāṁ mama | saṁnyāsaṁ rocaye sādhu kāryasyāsya janārdana || pratihanti mano me ’dya rājasūyo durāharaḥ, janārdana ||

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ ജനാർദന! ഞാൻ ഒറ്റയ്ക്കായി ആലോചിക്കുന്നതു പോലെ, അത്രയെങ്കിലും കേൾക്കുക. ഈ പ്രവർത്തനം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നതുതന്നെ എനിക്ക് ശ്രേയസ്കരമായി തോന്നുന്നു. രാജസൂയയാഗം അത്യന്തം ദുഷ്കരം; ഇന്ന് അത് എന്റെ ദൃഢനിശ്ചയം തടഞ്ഞ് മനസ്സിൽ അനാസക്തി നിറയ്ക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'yathā': 'as, in the manner that', 'aham': 'I', 'vimṛśāmi': 'I deliberate, reflect, consider carefully', 'ekaḥ': 'alone, by myself', 'tat tāvat': 'so much, to that extent (for now)', 'śruyatām': 'let it be heard

• please listen (imperative/passive)', 'mama': 'of me, my', 'saṁnyāsam': 'renunciation

• laying aside, giving up', 'rocaye': 'I approve, I find pleasing/right, I prefer', 'sādhu': 'good, proper, commendable', 'kāryasya': 'of the task/undertaking', 'asya': 'of this', 'janārdana': 'Janārdana (epithet of Kṛṣṇa: ‘stirrer/chastiser of men’)', 'pratihanti': 'strikes back, obstructs, checks, restrains', 'manaḥ': 'mind, intention, resolve', 'me': 'my (to me)', 'adya': 'today, now', 'rājasūyaḥ': 'the Rājasūya (royal consecration sacrifice asserting sovereignty)', 'durāharaḥ': 'hard to undertake/perform

Speaker

युधिषछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Rājasūya (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a righteous king must scrutinize ambition: grand rituals that signal sovereignty can entangle one in difficulty and ethical risk. Yudhiṣṭhira’s impulse toward saṁnyāsa here highlights restraint, humility, and the need for wise counsel before pursuing power-affirming acts.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the context of planning the Rājasūya, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana), confessing that after reflecting alone he feels discouraged. He says renouncing the project seems better because the Rājasūya is extremely hard to accomplish and is presently obstructing his resolve.