Krishna and Jarasandha

Summary

Drawing upon episodes from the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas, this narrative piece recounts the long-standing enmity between Kṛṣṇa and Jarāsandha, king of Magadha. Jarāsandha, born from two halves of a stillborn child joined by the witch Jarā, rose to great power and became the father-in-law of Kaṃsa. After Kṛṣṇa slew Kaṃsa and freed his parents, Jarāsandha attacked Mathurā seventeen times, forcing Kṛṣṇa and the Yādavas to relocate to Dvārakā. The article narrates several of these encounters and highlights Kṛṣṇa’s strategic acumen in avoiding direct confrontation with the powerful monarch. It then describes how Kṛṣṇa, along with Bhīma and Arjuna, later travelled to Magadha disguised as Brahmins to challenge Jarāsandha to single combat. Accepting the challenge, Jarāsandha fought Bhīma in a duel that lasted for days. On Kṛṣṇa’s advice Bhīma tore Jarāsandha’s body in two and cast the halves in opposite directions, preventing them from reuniting. With Jarāsandha dead, the captive kings of northern India were freed and Yudhiṣṭhira was able to perform the Rājasūya sacrifice. The author notes variant traditions about Jarāsandha’s death and argues that the story symbolises the victory of dharma over brute force.