Mahabharata · 2.39.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
शिशुपाल उवाच
स मे बहुमतो राजा जरासंधो महाबलः ॥
यो ऽनेन युद्धं नेयेष दासो ऽयम् इति संयुगे ॥
केशवेन कृतं यत् तु जरासंधवधे तदा ॥
भीमसेनार्जुनाभ्यां च कस् तत् साध्व् इति मन्यते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
śiśupāla uvāca
sa me bahumato rājā jarāsaṃdho mahābalaḥ ||
yo 'nena yuddhaṃ neyeṣa dāso 'yam iti saṃyuge ||
keśavena kṛtaṃ yat tu jarāsaṃdhavadhe tadā ||
bhīmasenārjunābhyāṃ ca kas tat sādhv iti manyate ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स मे बहुमतो राजाsa me bahumato rājāthat king, highly esteemed by me,
जरासंधो महाबलःjarāsaṃdho mahābalaḥJarasandha, mighty,
यो अनेन युद्धं न इयेषyo anena yuddhaṃ na iyeṣawho did not wish to fight with this [Krishna],
दासो अयम् इति संयुगेdāso ayam iti saṃyugesaying, "he is a slave" — in battle;
केशवेन कृतं यत् तुkeśavena kṛtaṃ yat tuand what was done by Keshava,
जरासंध-वधे तदाjarāsaṃdha-vadhe tadāat the slaying of Jarasandha then,
भीमसेन-अर्जुनाभ्यां चbhīmasena-arjunābhyāṃ caand by Bhimasena together with Arjuna, —
कस् तत् साध्व् इति मन्यतेkas tat sādhv iti manyatewho will deem that "good"?»
शिशुपालśiśupālaoriginal form "śiśupāla", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽनेन'nenaoriginal form "'nena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नेयेषneyeṣaoriginal form "neyeṣa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽयम्'yamoriginal form "'yam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जरासंधवधेjarāsaṃdhavadheoriginal form "jarāsaṃdhavadhe", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भीमसेनार्जुनाभ्यांbhīmasenārjunābhyāṃoriginal form "bhīmasenārjunābhyāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
«That mighty king Jarasandha I hold in high esteem — who did not wish to fight with this [Krishna] in battle, saying, 'he is a slave.' But what was done by Keshava, Bhimasena, and Arjuna at the slaying of Jarasandha — who will deem that good?»
Version
2ce8c344fde2 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:40:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Shishupala elevates into a virtue the very blindness of Jarasandha — the tyrant's contempt for Krishna as a 'slave.' It is telling that one slanderer recognizes his own kind in another: failing to know the Lord, Jarasandha fell, and Shishupala, walking the same path, praises him as a model. The verse teaches that the blind gravitate toward the blind and hail one another as clear-sighted: the refusal to acknowledge the Supreme seeks support in another's refusal. And the fate of Jarasandha, whom Shishupala invokes, is a silent warning to himself — for the same stone of contempt for the Lord has already once crushed the very king he extols.