एतस्मिन्न् एव काले तु जरासंधं समर्चयन् ॥
पर्यग्नि कुर्वंश् च नृपं द्विरदस्थं पुरोहिताः ॥
स्नातकव्रतिनस् ते तु बाहुशस्त्रा निरायुधाः ॥
युयुत्सवः प्रविविशुर् जरासंधेन भारत ॥
भक्ष्यमाल्यापणानां च ददृशुः श्रियम् उत्तमाम् ॥
स्फीतां सर्वगुणोपेतां सर्वकामसमृद्धिनीम् ॥
etasminn eva kāle tu jarāsaṃdhaṃ samarcayan ||
paryagni kurvaṃś ca nṛpaṃ dviradasthaṃ purohitāḥ ||
snātakavratinas te tu bāhuśastrā nirāyudhāḥ ||
yuyutsavaḥ praviviśur jarāsaṃdhena bhārata ||
bhakṣyamālyāpaṇānāṃ ca dadṛśuḥ śriyam uttamām ||
sphītāṃ sarvaguṇopetāṃ sarvakāmasamṛddhinīm ||
"At this very time the priests were honoring Jarasandha, seated on an elephant, encircling the king with fire; while they, in the guise of snataka-vow-keepers, with only their arms as weapons and no other, eager for battle, entered to fight Jarasandha, O Bharata; and they beheld the supreme splendor of the shops of food and garlands — abundant, endowed with every merit, overflowing with every desired thing."
ab884f1ca466 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:13:23 PM UTC
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Here the unarmed advance upon an armed lord — with the strength of their arms alone. It is telling that they "are eager for battle" openly, in the garb of brahmins: their concealment is not cowardice but a stratagem against a tyrant too formidable for open war. Thus the text shows guile in the service of dharma; and further follows their formidable bearing amid the city.