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

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు— హే జనార్దనా! నేను ఒంటరిగా ఎలా ఆలోచిస్తున్నానో అంతవరకు విను. ఈ కార్యాన్ని వదిలేయడమే శ్రేయస్కరమని నాకు తోస్తోంది. రాజసూయ యజ్ఞం అత్యంత దుర్లభం; ఈ రోజు అది నా సంకల్పాన్ని అడ్డుకుంటూ మనసులో నిరుత్సాహాన్ని నింపుతోంది.

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.