Shloka 9
Jarāsandha’s Sieges and the Lord’s Human-Conforming Strategy
Rāja-dharma as Līlā
जिते तस्मिन् सुदुर्वृत्ते जरासंधे महामुने जीवमाने गते कृष्णस् तं नामन्यत निर्जितम्
jite tasmin sudurvṛtte jarāsaṃdhe mahāmune jīvamāne gate kṛṣṇas taṃ nāmanyata nirjitam
ఓ మహామునీ, ఆ దుష్టుడైన జరాసంధను జయించినప్పటికీ, అతడు జీవించి మళ్లీ రావచ్చునంతవరకు, కృష్ణుడు అతనిని నిజంగా ఓడిపోయినవాడిగా భావించలేదు।
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To remove persistent sources of adharma; mere setback of evil is insufficient until the threat is decisively ended.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Sustained protection of dharma through prudence and complete neutralization of recurring adharma
Concept: Dharma requires vigilance: as long as a harmful power retains capacity to recur, one should not mistake temporary success for true victory.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In personal life, address root causes (habits, systems, injustices) rather than celebrating partial wins; maintain steady effort until relapse is unlikely.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s conduct models dharmic intelligence (nīti) within the world, showing divine guidance expressed through practical wisdom.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
The verse distinguishes momentary battlefield success from final resolution: as long as Jarāsandha remains alive and capable of returning, Krishna does not call the conflict conclusively won.
Through narrative judgment: Parāśara shows Krishna as weighing outcomes by their lasting effect on dharma and security, not by a single encounter’s result.
Krishna appears as Vishnu’s sovereign intelligence—upholding order through discernment and strategy—where divine purpose is measured by enduring protection of dharma rather than transient triumph.