21. THE SLAYING OF JARASANDHA :

BRIHADRATHA, the commander of
three regiments, reigned in the kingdom of
Magadha and attained celebrity as a great
hero. He married the twin daughters of the
raja of Kasi and vowed to them that he
would not show any partiality to either.
Brihadratha was not blessed with a child
for a long time. When he became old, he
handed over his kingdom to his ministers,
went to the forest with his two wives and
engaged himself in austerities.
He went to Sage Kausika of the Gautama
family, with a sorrowful longing for
children in his heart. And when the sage
was moved with pity and asked him what
he wanted, he answered:
"I am childless and have come to the
forest giving up my kingdom. Give me
children."


The sage was filled with compassion and,
even as he was thinking how to help the
king, a mango fruit fell into his lap. He
took it and gave it to the king with this
blessing: "Take it. Your wish will be
fulfilled."


The king cut the fruit into two halves and
gave one to each wife. He did so to keep
his vow not to show partiality to either.
Some time after they had partaken of the
fruit, the wives became pregnant.
The delivery took place in due course. But
instead of bringing the expected joy, it
plunged them into greater grief than
before. For they each gave birth to but a
half of a child. Each half was a monstrous
birth which seemed a revolting lump.
They were indeed two equal and
complementary portions of one baby,
consisting of one eye, one leg, half a face,
one ear and so on. Seized with grief, they
commanded their attendants to tie the
gruesome pieces in a cloth and cast them
away.


The attendants did as they were instructed
and threw the cloth bundle on a heap of
refuse in the street. A cannibal Rakshasi
chanced upon that place. She was elated at
seeing the two pieces of flesh and, as she
gathered them up both at once, accidently
the halves came together the right way.
And they at once adhered together and
changed into a whole living child, perfect
in every detail.


The surprised Rakshasi did not wish to
kill the child. She took on the guise of a
beautiful woman and, going to the king,
presented the child to him saying: "This is
your child."


The king was immensely delighted and
handed it over to his two wives. This child
became known as Jarasandha. He grew up
in to a man of immense physical strength.
But his body had one weakness namely,
that being made up by the fusion of two
separate parts, it could be split again into
two, if sufficient force were used.
This interesting story embodies the
important truth that two sundered parts
joined together will still remain weak,
with a tendency to split. When the
conquest and slaying of Jarasandha had
been resolved upon, Sri Krishna said:
"Hamsa, Hidimbaka, Kamsa, and other
allies of Jarasandha are no more. Now that
he is isolated, this is the right time to kill
him. It is useless to fight with armies. He
must be provoked to a single combat and
slain."


According to the code of honor of those
days, a kshatriya had to accept the
challenge to a duel whether with or
without weapons.


The latter sort was a fight to the death
with weighted gauntlets or a wrestling to
the death in catch-as-catch-can style. This
was the kshatriya tradition to which
Krishna and the Pandavas had recourse
for slaying Jarasandha.


They disguised themselves as men who
had taken religious vows, clad in robes of
bark-fibre and carrying the holy darbha
grass in their hands. Thus they entered the
kingdom of Magadha and arrived at the
capital of Jarasandha.


Jarasandha was disturbed by portents of ill
omen. To ward off the threatened danger,
he had propitiatory rites performed by the
priests and himself took to fasts and
penance.


Krishna, Bhima, and Arjuna entered the
palace unarmed. Jarasandha received them
with respect as their noble bearing seemed
to indicate an illustrious origin. Bhima
and Arjuna made no reply to his words of
welcome because they wished to avoid
having to tell lies.


Krishna spoke on their behalf: "These two
are observing a vow of silence for the
present as at part of their austerities. They
can speak only after midnight."


Jarasandha entertained them in the hall of
sacrifice and returned to the palace.
It was the practice of Jarasandha to meet
noble guests who had taken vows and talk
to them at their leisure and convenience,
and so he called at midnight to see them.
Their conduct made Jarasandha
suspicious, and he also observed that they
had on their hands the scars made by the
bowstring and had besides the proud
bearing of kshatriyas.


When Jarasandha demanded the truth of
them they said frankly: "We are your foes
and seek instant combat. You can choose
one of us at will to fight with you."
After acquainting himself as to who they
were, Jarasandha said: "Krishna, you are a
cowherd and Arjuna is a mere boy. Bhima
is famous for his physical strength. So, I
wish to fight with him." Since Bhima was
unarmed, Jarasandha chivalrously agreed
to fight him without weapons.


Bhima and Jarasandha were so equally
matched in strength that they fought with
each other continuously for thirteen days
without taking rest or refreshments, while
Krishna and Arjuna looked on in
alternating hope and anxiety.
On the fourteenth day, Jarasandha showed
signs of exhaustion, and Krishna
prompted Bhima that the time had come
to make an end of him.


At once Bhima lifted him and whirling
him round and round a hundred times,
dashed him to the earth and seizing his
legs tore his body asunder into two halves.
And Bhima roared in exultation. The two
halves at once joined and Jarasandha, thus
made whole, leapt up into vigorous life
and again attacked Bhima.


Bhima aghast at the sight, was at a loss
what to do, when he saw Krishna pick up
a straw, tear it into two, and cast the bits
in opposite directions.


Bhima took the hint, and when once again
he tore Jarasandha asunder he threw the
two portions in opposite directions, so that
they could not come together and join.
Thus did Jarasandha meet his end.
The captive princes were released and
Jarasandha's son was crowned King of
Magadha. And Krishna, Bhima and
Arjuna returned to Indraprastha.
With Jarasandha gone, the way was now
clear for the Rajasuya which the Pandavas
performed with great pomp and splendor.
Yudhishthira assumed the title of
emperor.


The celebrations were marred by only one
incident. Towards the close of the festive
celebrations, at the time of paying the first
honor, Sisupala behaved disrespectfully in
the assembly of princes and provoked a
fight with Krishna in which he was slain.
This story is told in the next chapter.