Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Krishna debate the Rajasuya and Jarasandha

Yudhishthira had been contemplating the Rajasuya, the supreme imperial sacrifice. The ambition was immense, and the doubt that followed was its equal. He turned to Krishna, who was wise in all matters of state and dharma. "Because you are wise," Yudhishthira said, "you have said what no one else could have said. No one dispels doubts the way you do." He looked at the scale of the task. Every household had its king, each working for his own welfare, but none had attained the status of emperor — a title that encompassed everything. "One who knows the power of others does not praise himself," Yudhishthira observed. True supremacy was rare, recognized by comparison. The earth was large, covered with gems and rival powers. "It is by travelling far that one gets to know what is best." His inclination, always, was toward peace. "I consider tranquillity to be supreme, because from that freedom follows. I do not think the highest goal can be attained if I begin this rite." He was a man who saw the cost of ambition before its glory. Sometimes, from among the wise born in every lineage, one would become supreme. He was not sure he was that one. Bhima had been listening. For him, doubt was not a philosophy but an obstacle. "A king who has no enterprise is like an anthill," he said, a mound of earth, static and useless. "One who tries to rule a stronger one without a plan is weak. But if the plan is right, even a weak and enterprising king can defeat a strong enemy and attain goals that bring one's welfare." He had already divided the labor in his mind. "There is plan in Krishna, strength in me and victory in Partha Dhananjaya." The three of them together — Krishna's counsel, Bhima's raw power, Arjuna's unmatched skill in battle — would be like the three sacred fires of a sacrifice. "Like three sacrificial fires," Bhima concluded, "we will consume Magadha." Then Krishna spoke. He began with a principle of statecraft. "A child grasps, without understanding the consequences of the action. Therefore, an enemy of immature understanding is not tolerated." Jarasandha, king of Magadha, was such an enemy — powerful but cruel, a tyrant whose understanding had never matured beyond the childish impulse to seize. Krishna laid out the history of empire. Only five had ever become true emperors: Youvanashva by eliminating taxes, Bhagiratha through protection, Kartavirya through the power of his austerities, Bharata through his sheer might, and Marutta through his wealth. Each had earned the title through a distinct form of power. "O bull among the Bharata lineage!" Krishna said to Yudhishthira. "Know that in accordance with the principles of dharma and artha (righteousness and statecraft), Brihadratha's son Jarasandha is now the one to be punished." He described the tyranny. One hundred and one dynasties of kings had refused to accept Jarasandha's suzerainty, so he claimed his empire through pure force. Kings who possessed jewels offered him homage just to survive. "Since he has been evil from childhood, he is not content even with that." Jarasandha used force to conquer anointed kings, the foremost men of the land. "Not a single man can be seen who does not offer him tribute." The scale of his cruelty was precise. "Thus has he brought under his power those kings, who number almost one hundred." Krishna painted the image of captured royalty, humiliated and imprisoned. "How can those kings, who have been cleaned and washed like animals in Pashupati's house, be happy with their fate?" They were being prepared like sacrificial beasts for some dark rite. For a kshatriya (warrior), honor lay in dying by weapons on a battlefield, not in a prison. "It has been said that a kshatriya is honoured when he is killed by weapons. Why should we then not collectively oppose the Magadha?" He gave Yudhishthira the numbers and the opening. "Jarasandha has already brought under his sway eighty-six kings and waits for the others to complete his cruel act." The count was eighty-six imprisoned, aiming for one hundred. "He who obstructs him from accomplishing this will obtain blazing fame." To stop a tyrant in the midst of his crime was a righteous act that would echo across the earth. And then Krishna delivered the conclusion that transformed doubt into destiny: "He who defeats Jarasandha will certainly become emperor." The path to the Rajasuya was not through contemplation alone. It led directly through the gates of Magadha.