तं राजानं तथा क्लान्तं दृष्ट्वा राजञ् जनार्दनः ॥
उवाच भीमकर्माणं भीमं संबोधयन्न् इव ॥
क्लान्तः शत्रुर् न कौन्तेय लभ्यः पीडयितुं रणे ॥
पीड्यमानो हि कार्त्स्न्येन जह्याज् जीवितम् आत्मनः ॥
तस्मात् ते नैव कौन्तेय पीडनीयो नराधिपः ॥
समम् एतेन युध्यस्व बाहुभ्यां भरतर्षभ ॥
taṃ rājānaṃ tathā klāntaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājañ janārdanaḥ ||
uvāca bhīmakarmāṇaṃ bhīmaṃ saṃbodhayann iva ||
klāntaḥ śatrur na kaunteya labhyaḥ pīḍayituṃ raṇe ||
pīḍyamāno hi kārtsnyena jahyāj jīvitam ātmanaḥ ||
tasmāt te naiva kaunteya pīḍanīyo narādhipaḥ ||
samam etena yudhyasva bāhubhyāṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Seeing the king so exhausted, O king, Janardana said — as if to encourage him — to Bhima, terrible in his deeds: 'An exhausted foe, O Kaunteya, should not be pressed hard in battle: for one pressed to the utmost would give up his very life. Therefore, O Kaunteya, this lord of men must not be pressed; fight with him on equal terms, with your arms alone, O bull among the Bharatas.'
5c9291223cc4 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:50 PM UTC
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Krishna's counsel appears to be about mercy, but at a deeper level it concerns the goal. To crush the exhausted man would grant him an easy death and forfeit what is due: Jarasandha is destined to fall in a particular manner, not from mere attrition. It is significant that the Lord, guarding the timing and the manner, directs Bhima to 'fight on equal terms' — so that what was foretold might be fulfilled, that the tyrant would be slain by the living strength of a devotee, torn in two, and not worn down by fatigue. Thus providence reveals itself: even a respite granted to the enemy serves the righteous conclusion.