Krishna Proposes the Plan to Kill Jarasandha
With his other enemies dead, Krishna declares the time has come to kill the invincible Jarasandha. He reveals the king's one weakness and outlines a plan that hinges on Bhima's strength, Arjuna's valor, and his own policy. Yudhishthira must decide whether to entrust his brothers to this perilous mission.
Krishna spoke to Yudhishthira. The obstacles were gone. Hamsa and Dibhaka had fallen. Kamsa and his advisers were dead. Only one great enemy remained, and the moment to act had arrived. "The time has therefore arrived for Jarasandha's killing."
But Jarasandha was no ordinary foe. He was a king so powerful he was considered incapable of being defeated in battle by all the gods and demons combined. Krishna, however, knew the secret. "We understand he is capable of being vanquished in a battle of breath." A wrestling duel. Hand-to-hand combat, where strength of body and will mattered more than armies.
Krishna laid out the roles. "Policy exists in me. Power exists in Bhima. Valour exists in Arjuna. O king! We will overcome him like three fires." He proposed a direct, almost arrogant approach: the three of them would confront Jarasandha alone. Such an act would provoke the proud king's contempt for the worlds and his immense pride in himself. He would certainly respond to the challenge. And he would single out the strongest among them for a duel. "He will certainly challenge Bhimasena to a duel. The mighty-armed and immensely strong Bhimasena is his match, like death is of the worlds that confront their destruction."
The plan was set. The execution depended on Yudhishthira's trust. Krishna looked at the Pandava king. "If your heart knows and if you have confidence in me, then, without losing any more time, entrust Bhimasena and Arjuna to me."
Yudhishthira looked at Krishna, then at his two brothers, Bhima and Arjuna, standing there with smiles on their faces. His reply was immediate and full of devotion. "O Achyuta! O Achyuta! Do not speak to me in that fashion. You are the lord of the Pandavas. We seek refuge with you."
He affirmed Krishna's wisdom. "O Govinda! Everything that you have said is right. You never lead those whom Lakshmi has forsaken." In Yudhishthira's mind, the success was already assured by Krishna's guidance. "As I follow your instruction, Jarasandha is dead. The kings have been set free. I have achieved the rajasuya."
He placed his complete faith in Krishna, urging him to act swiftly for the good of the world. Then he expressed his profound dependence on the trio. "Like a miserable and diseased man and like one without dharma, kama and artha, I have no incentive to live without the three of you." He saw them as inseparable and invincible. "There is no Partha without Shouri and there is no Shouri without Pandava. It is my view that there is nothing in the world that cannot be conquered by the two Krishnas."
He praised Bhima's supreme strength and declared that with Krishna and Arjuna guiding him, nothing was impossible. Using the metaphor of water flowing to low ground and forces needing skilled leadership, Yudhishthira concluded, "For accomplishing our task, we will therefore seek refuge with Govinda... If one wishes to accomplish one’s objectives, one should place him at the forefront."
He gave his final order. "For the accomplishment of our objective, let Partha Arjuna follow Krishna, the best of the Yadavas, and let Bhima follow Dhananjaya. Policy, victory and strength will find success in valour."
With Yudhishthira's blessing, the three brothers — Krishna, Bhima, and Arjuna — left for Magadha.