Shloka 35

Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)

Devanagari script

अथ काले महाप्राज्ञ यथासमयमागते । प्रजायेतामुभे राजज्छरीरशकले तदा,महाप्राज्ञ युधिष्ठिर! प्रसवकाल पूर्ण होनेपर उन दोनों रानियोंने यथासमय अपने गर्भसे शरीरका एक-एक टुकड़ा पैदा किया

Transliteration

atha kāle mahāprājña yathāsamayam āgate | prajāyetām ubhe rājan śarīraśakale tadā || mahāprājña yudhiṣṭhira!

Translation

Then, O greatly wise one, when the proper time had arrived, both queens, O king, gave birth at the due season—each producing a single fragment of flesh. O greatly wise Yudhiṣṭhira, when the time of delivery was complete, this is what occurred.

Word by Word

अथthen

कालेat the time

महाप्राज्ञO very wise one

यथाas, according to

समयम्the proper time

आगतेhaving come, arrived

प्रजायेताम्were born / brought forth

उभेboth (f.)

राज्ञःof the king

शरीरbody

शकलेtwo pieces/fragments

तदाthen, at that time

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Yudhiṣṭhira

the two queens (ubhe)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds kāla (the ripening of time) and yathāsamaya (due order): outcomes unfold when conditions mature, even when the result appears abnormal. In royal-dharma contexts, it also hints that lineage and political destiny may proceed through unexpected, even troubling, forms—inviting patience, discernment, and responsible action rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and reports that, when the delivery time arrived, both queens gave birth, but instead of normal children each produced a śarīraśakala—one fragment/lump of flesh—marking an ominous or extraordinary birth event that sets up subsequent developments.