Shloka 23
Jarāsandha–Vāsudeva Saṃvāda: Kṣātra-Dharma, Pride, and the Ethics of Coercion
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 20
अमषदिभिततप्तानां ज्ञात्यर्थ मुख्यतेजसाम् । रविसोमाग्निवपुषां दीप्तमासीत् तदा वपु:
amṛṣadbhir ataptānāṁ jñāty-arthaṁ mukhya-tejasām | ravi-somāgni-vapuṣāṁ dīptam āsīt tadā vapuḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：他们至上的威势迸发而出，由难以容忍的愤怒与艰辛所点燃，尽皆指向拯救宗亲、护佑族类之福祉。其时，那三位光辉者的形貌——其身如日、如月、如火——灿然若焰，仿佛宣告：为护持达摩与尽亲族之责，阇罗桑陀的覆亡已不可避免。
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic motivation: intense power (tejas) is justified when directed toward protecting and liberating one’s kin and upholding righteous duty, not for personal cruelty. Righteous resolve can appear as ‘fire-like’ energy when grounded in obligation and justice.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the protagonists’ fierce, luminous readiness—likened to the sun, moon, and fire—arising from intolerable provocation and the aim of saving their relatives. This radiance signals their determination and foreshadows Jarāsandha’s impending defeat.