Mahabharata 7.11.3 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 11, Shloka 3
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 ||
వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను— యమునా తీరవనంలో నివసించు ఆ అశ్వరాజు కేశీ, ఉచ్చైఃశ్రవసుతో సమాన బలముగలవాడును, వాయువుతో సమాన వేగముగలవాడును; శ్రీకృష్ణుడు అతనిని సంహరించెను।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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