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जरासन्धवधपर्वन् (jarAsandhavadhaparvan)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Jarāsandhavadhaparvan] (“the section relating to the killing of Jarāsandha, ” the 23rd of the minor parvans of Mhbhr.
cf. Jarāsandhavadha). § 276: As Kṛshṇa thought that Jarāsandha was incapable of being vanquished in battle even by all the gods and Asuras, but might be vanquished in a personal struggle with bare arms (prāṇayuddha, PCR.), and as there was in himself policy, in Bhīma strength, and in Arjuna ability to protect them, he thought that Jarāsandha should be made to challenge Bhīma, and Kṛshṇa therefore obtained the permission of Yudhishṭhira that Bhīma and Arjuna followed him. They set out in the garb of snātakas, with Bhīma in the van, from the land of the Kurus to the Padmasaras, over Kālakūṭa, Gaṇḍakī, Mahāśoṇa, Sadānīrā (v. 794 runs thus in V.: Gaṇḍakīñca Sadānīrāṃ Śarkarāvarttam eva ca), the rivers on the Ekaparvataka (? see BR.) and Pūrvā (i.e. Eastern) Kośalā (B. has pūrvāṃś ca Kośalān), Mithilā, Mālā, Carmaṇvatī, Gaṅgā, Śoṇa, towards the east, dressed in garments of kuśa-grass (instead of kuśacīracchadā V. has Kuśāmboraḥsthalaṃ), to the Māgadha land. When they came to the mountain of Goratha, they beheld the Māgadha town (II, 20).--§ 277: Girivraja is surrounded by the five large hills of Vaihāra, Varāha, Vṛshabha, Ṛshigiri, and Caityaka. It was there that Gautama begat Kākshīvat, etc., upon the śūdra woman Auśīnarī, and was visited by the kings of Aṅga, Vaṅga, etc. There dwell the Nāgas Arbuda, Śakravāpin, Svastika, and Maṇināga. Manu had ordered the Māgadhas never to be afflicted with drought
Kauśika and Maṇimat had favoured the country. The Pāṇḍavas and Kṛshṇa entered the city by breaking down the peak of Caityaka, worshipped by the Bārhadrathas and the citizens with perfumes and flower garlands, where Bṛhadratha had slain the cannibal Ṛshabha, and made of his hide (māsatālābhiḥ, see BR.
Gauḍapāṭha: māṃsanālābhiḥ, Nīl.) three drums [which the brothers broke, v. 814, not in V.]. As evil omens had been seen, the purohitas made Jarāsandha mount an elephant and carried fire about him (paryagnyakurvan), and he entered upon (dīkshitaḥ) a sacrifice with vows (niyamasthaḥ) and fasts (upavāsaparaḥ). Kṛshṇa, Bhīma, and Dhanañjaya entered the city without weapons in the guise of snātakas, snatched from the flower-vendors the garlands they had exposed for sale, and attired in robes of various colours and decked with garlands and ear-rings they entered the abode of Jarāsandha, who welcomed them, and hearing from Kṛshṇa that Bhīma and Arjuna in consequence of a vow would not speak before night, quartered them in the sacrificial apartments (yajñāgāre) and retired to the palace (rājagṛhaṃ). At midnight he came to them, as he always observed the vow, that as soon as he should hear of the arrival of snātakas, even at midnight, he would immediately come out and grant them an audience. As he questioned them about their strange attire, which was unsuitable for snātakas, and their breaking down the Caityaka peak, and why they would not accept the worship he offered, Kṛshṇa gave him some explanations (v. 848 ff.: snātakavratino, rājan ! brāhmaṇā, kshatriyā, viśaḥ|viśeshaniyamāś caishām aviśeshāś ca santy uta | viśeshavāṃś ca satataṃ kshattriyaḥ śriyam ṛcchati), and declared that they had come as his foes (II, 21). As Jarāsandha said that he did not remember to have injured them, Kṛshṇa told him that they were sent by Yudhishṭhira to set at liberty the princes whom Jarāsandha intended to slaughter as a sacrifice to Śiva, because sacrificing human beings to the gods was never used (v. 864)
he reminded him of the destruction of Dambhodbhava, Kārtavīrya, Uttara, and Bṛhadratha, and challenged him to set free the monarchs or to fight. Jarāsandha chose to fight, and ordered Sahadeva, to be installed on the throne. Then he thought of his generals Kauśika and Citrasena, who had formerly been Haṃsa and Ḍimbhaka. Kṛshṇa, remembering that, according to the command of Brahmán, Jarāsandha was not to be slain by him or by the Madhus, did not himself desire to slay him (II, 22). Jarāsandha having chosen to fight with Bhīma, the purohita brought pigment, garlands, etc., and propitiatory ceremonies (kṛtasvastyayanaḥ) were performed by a brahman
and likewise Bhīma, having consulted with Kṛshṇa, had propitiatory ceremonies pronounced (kṛtasvastyayanaḥ). When Jarāsandha had taken off his crown and arranged his hair, they fought with their clenched fists as their only weapons. The combat began at the first day of the month Kārttika, and lasted, without intermission or food, till the thirteenth
on the fourteenth night Jarāsandha desisted from fatigue, and Kṛshṇa obscurely intimated that he should now be killed (II, 23). At the instigation of Kṛshṇa, Bhīma threw Jarāsandha into the air a hundred times, pressed his knee against his backbone and broke his body in two with a terrible roar, so that the citizens became dumb with terror and many women were prematurely delivered. Leaving the lifeless body at the palace gate, they went out of the town riding on Jarāsandha's celestial chariot, which Kṛshṇa caused to be made ready, it being adorned with a celestial flagstaff and incapable of being vanquished by any king, upon which Indra and Vishṇu had fought in the battle about Tārakā, riding upon which Indra had slain ninety-nine (navatīr nava) Dānavas, which had been obtained by king Vasu from Vāsava (i.e. Indra), from Vasu by Bṛhadratha, and from him by Jarāsandha. And Kṛshṇa thought of Garuḍa, who sat upon the chariot along with the frightfully roaring creatures on its flagstaff. Kṛshṇa then released his relatives and ordered them to assist Yudhishṭhira at his rājasūya. Stopping on a level plain outside the town, he was adored by the citizens, and he installed Sahadeva, the son of Jarāsandha, in the sovereignty of the Magadhas. Then they arrived at Indraprastha. Thereupon Kṛshṇa, having taken leave of Yudhishṭhira, etc., set out for his own city, riding upon that same celestial chariot that had been given to him by Yudhishṭhira, the Pāṇḍavas having circumambulated him (pradakshiṇam akurvanta) (II, 24)