Bhagavata Purana

जीवता ब्राह्मणार्थाय को न्वर्थः क्षत्रबन्धुना । देहेन पतमानेन नेहता विपुलं यशः

What purpose does the body of a kshatriya relative serve, if living only for the sake of Brahmins? When the body falls here, great fame is attained.

इत्युदारमतिः प्राह कृष्णार्जुनवृकोदरान् । हे विप्रा व्रियतां कामो ददाम्यात्मशिरोऽपि वः

Thus, with noble intent, he spoke to Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhimasena: 'O Brahmins, choose your desire; I will give even my own head to you.'

श्रीभगवानुवाच - युद्धं नो देहि राजेन्द्र द्वन्द्वशो यदि मन्यसे । युद्धार्थिनो वयं प्राप्ता राजन्या नान्यकाङ्‌क्षिणः

The Blessed Lord said: 'O king, grant us battle, if you consider it fitting to fight in pairs. We have come seeking combat, desiring nothing else but battle with the royal order.'

असौ वृकोदरः पार्थः तस्य भ्रातार्जुनो ह्ययम् । अनयोर्मातुलेयं मां कृष्णं जानीहि ते रिपुम्

This is Bhimasena, O Partha; his brother is Arjuna. Know me, Krishna, as their maternal uncle and your enemy.

एवमावेदितो राजा जहासोच्चैः स्म मागधः । आह चामर्षितो मन्दा युद्धं तर्हि ददामि वः

Thus informed, the king of Magadha laughed loudly and, angered, said: 'Then, I will grant you battle, O fools.'

न त्वया भीरुणा योत्स्ये युधि विक्लवतेजसा । मथुरां स्वपुरीं त्यक्त्वा समुद्रं शरणं गतः

I will not fight with you, coward, whose valor is uncertain; you abandoned your own city, Mathura, and took refuge by the sea.

अयं तु वयसा तुल्यो नातिसत्त्वो न मे समः । अर्जुनो न भवेद् योद्धा भीमस्तुल्यबलो मम

This one is equal to me in age, but not in strength; Arjuna is not fit to fight, but Bhima is equal in might to me.

इत्युक्त्वा भीमसेनाय प्रादाय महतीं गदाम् । द्वितीयां स्वयमादाय निर्जगाम पुराद् बहिः

Having spoken thus, he gave a great mace to Bhimasena, took another himself, and went out from the city.

ततः समे खले वीरौ संयुक्तावितरेतरौ । जघ्नतुर्वज्रकल्पाभ्यां गदाभ्यां रणदुर्मदौ

Then, the two heroes, equally matched, met on the field; wild with battle, they struck each other with maces as mighty as thunderbolts.

मण्डलानि विचित्राणि सव्यं दक्षिणमेव च । चरतोः शुशुभे युद्धं नटयोरिव रङ्‌गिणोः

The fight shone as they moved in intricate circles, to the left and right, like dancers on a stage.

ततश्चटचटाशब्दो वज्रनिष्पेषसन्निभः । गदयोः क्षिप्तयो राजन् दन्तयोरिव दन्तिनोः

Then, the sound of their maces striking was like the crash of thunderbolts, O king, as they hurled them, like the tusks of elephants clashing.

( वसंततिलका ) ते वै गदे भुजजवेन निपात्यमाने अन्योन्यतोंऽसकटिपादकरोरुजत्रून् । चूर्णीबभूवतुरुपेत्य यथार्कशाखे संयुध्यतोर्द्विरदयोरिव दीप्तमन्व्योः

With the speed of their arms, the maces struck each other's shoulders, hips, feet, knees, and heads, and were shattered, just as the branches of the sun are broken when two blazing elephants fight.

इत्थं तयोः प्रहतयोर्गदयोर्नृवीरौ क्रुद्धौ स्वमुष्टिभिरयःस्परशैरपिष्टाम् । शब्दस्तयोः प्रहरतोरिभयोरिवासीन् निर्घातवज्रपरुषस्तलताडनोत्थः

Thus, as the two heroes struck with their maces, angry, they also battered each other with their iron-hard fists; the sound of their blows, fierce as thunderbolts, arose from the slapping of their palms.

( अनुष्टुप् ) तयोरेवं प्रहरतोः समशिक्षाबलौजसोः । निर्विशेषमभूद् युद्धं अक्षीणजवयोर्नृप

As the two struck each other, equal in skill, strength, and vigor, the battle was indistinguishable, for neither's speed diminished, O king.

एवं तयोर्महाराज युध्यतोः सप्तविंशतिः । दिनानि निरगंस्तत्र सुहृद्‌वन् निशि तिष्ठतोः

Thus, O great king, as they fought, twenty-seven days passed there, while their friends stood by at night.

एकदा मातुलेयं वै प्राह राजन् वृकोदरः । न शक्तोऽहं जरासन्धं निर्जेतुं युधि माधव

Once, O King, Vṛkodara said to his maternal cousin: 'O Mādhava, I am not able to defeat Jarāsandha in battle.'

शत्रोर्जन्ममृती विद्वान् जीवितं च जराकृतम् । पार्थमाप्याययन् स्वेन तेजसाचिन्तयद्धरिः

Knowing the birth and death of the enemy, and that his life was sustained by Jara, Hari strengthened Pārtha with his own energy and considered what to do.

सञ्चिन्त्यारिवधोपायं भीमस्यामोघदर्शनः । दर्शयामास विटपं पाटयन्निव संज्ञया

Having thought of a means to kill the enemy, he whose vision never fails gave a sign to Bhīma by tearing a branch, as if to demonstrate.

तद्‌विज्ञाय महासत्त्वो भीमः प्रहरतां वरः । गृहीत्वा पादयोः शत्रुं पातयामास भूतले

Understanding this, the mighty Bhīma, foremost among fighters, seized his enemy by the feet and threw him down upon the ground.

एकं पादं पदाक्रम्य दोर्भ्यामन्यं प्रगृह्य सः । गुदतः पाटयामास शाखमिव महागजः

Placing one foot upon his enemy's leg and grasping the other with his arms, he tore him from the anus, like a great elephant splitting a branch.

एकपादोरुवृषण कटिपृष्ठस्तनांसके । एकबाह्वक्षिभ्रूकर्णे शकले ददृशुः प्रजाः

People saw the body split into parts—one with a single leg, thigh, testicle, hip, back, breast, and shoulder; the other with one arm, eye, brow, and ear.

हाहाकारो महानासीत् निहते मगधेश्वरे । पूजयामासतुर्भीमं परिरभ्य जयाच्यतौ

A great outcry arose when the king of Magadha was slain; they embraced and honored Bhīma, along with the victorious and infallible ones.

सहदेवं तत्तनयं भगवान्भूतभावनः । अभ्यषिञ्चदमेयात्मा मगधानां पतिं प्रभुः । मोचयामास राजन्यान् संरुद्धा मागधेन ये

The Lord, creator of beings and master of himself, anointed Sahadeva, Jarāsandha's son, as king of the Magadhas, and released the kings who had been imprisoned by Jarāsandha.

इति श्रीमद्‍भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां दशमस्कन्धे उत्तरार्धे जरासन्ध वधो नाम द्विसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः

Thus ends the seventy-second chapter, entitled 'The Slaying of Jarāsandha,' in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas.

जरासन्धरुद्धानां राज्ञां कारागृहान् मोचनम् - श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) अयुते द्वे शतान्यष्टौ निरुद्धा युधि निर्जिताः । ते निर्गता गिरिद्रोण्यां मलिना मलवाससः

Śuka said: Sixteen thousand eight hundred kings, defeated in battle and imprisoned, emerged from the mountain cave, dirty and clad in soiled garments.

क्षुत्क्षामाः शुष्कवदनाः संरोधपरिकर्शिताः । ददृशुस्ते घनश्यामं पीतकौशेयवाससम्

Emaciated by hunger, their faces dried up, tormented by confinement, they saw before them the dark-complexioned one, dressed in yellow silk.

श्रीवत्साङ्कं चतुर्बाहुं पद्मगर्भारुणेक्षणम् । चारुप्रसन्नवदनं स्फुरन्मकरकुण्डलम्

They saw him marked with Śrīvatsa, four-armed, with lotus-like reddish eyes, a beautiful, gracious face, and shining makara-shaped earrings.

पद्महस्तं गदाशङ्ख रथाङ्‌गैरुपलक्षितम् । किरीटहारकटक कटिसूत्राङ्‌गदाञ्चितम्

He held a lotus, mace, conch, and discus; adorned with a crown, necklace, bracelets, a girdle, and armlets.

भ्राजद्वरमणिग्रीवं निवीतं वनमालया । पिबन्त इव चक्षुर्भ्यां लिहन्त इव जिह्वया

His neck shone with the best of jewels and was garlanded with forest flowers; they drank him in with their eyes, as if tasting him with their tongues.