|
20.THE SLAYING OF JARASANDHA
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.
|
|