Shloka 38
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
कृत्स्नेयं पृथिवी देवी जरासंधेन धीमता । मागधेन्द्रेण बलिना वशे कृत्वा प्रतापिता
kṛtsneyam pṛthivī devī jarāsandhena dhīmatā | māgadhendreṇa balinā vaśe kṛtvā pratāpitā | parama-buddhimān ca balavān mahābalī magadharāja jarāsandhena iyaṃ sarvā pṛthivī sva-vaśaṃ nītvā pīḍayituṃ prārabdhā | kintu bhīmasenena bhagavatā śrīkṛṣṇena sārdham antaḥpure gatvā sa mahāparākramī nareśo nihataḥ |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “A terra inteira, como se fosse uma deusa, foi submetida ao domínio de Jarāsandha, o sábio e poderoso senhor de Magadha, e sofreu sob sua opressão. Contudo, Bhīmasena, acompanhado pelo Senhor Śrī Kṛṣṇa, entrou em seu palácio interior e abateu aquele rei de altíssimo valor. A passagem contrasta a dominação tirânica com a remoção justa de um opressor violento, mostrando que a força só é legítima quando alinhada ao dharma.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and intelligence become ethically meaningful only when aligned with dharma. Jarāsandha’s might is portrayed as oppressive domination of the world, while Bhīma’s force—guided by Kṛṣṇa—functions as the removal of a harmful tyrant, implying that strength is justified when it protects the wider order and relieves suffering.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls how Jarāsandha, the powerful king of Magadha, had subjugated and tormented the earth (the world’s kingdoms). He then notes that Bhīma, together with Kṛṣṇa, entered Jarāsandha’s inner palace and killed him, ending his oppressive rule.