राम

Viṣṇu-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 82

30 versesPairings in Battle

Synopsis

The central section describes the formal pairings of heroes, dvandva-yuddha: Rukmin against Vāsudeva, Āhuka against Bhīṣmaka, Kratha against Vasudeva, Kauśika against Babhru, Gada against the Cedi king, Dantavaktra against Śambhu, and so on. In the middle Jarāsaṃdha charges Rāma, wheeling on the left, with Baladeva wheeling on the right. The chapter closes: having made his effort, Jarāsaṃdha retreats; having defeated the Magadha king in open battle, the Vṛṣṇi lions the great-chariot-warriors are at ease.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

प्रतीच्यैश् च बलोदग्रैर् धार्तराष्ट्रैश् च पालितम् ततो युद्धानि वृष्णीनां बभूव सुमहान्त्य् अथ मागधस्य महामात्यैर् नृपैश् चैवानुयायिभिः

pratīcyaiś ca balodagrair dhārtarāṣṭraiś ca pālitam tato yuddhāni vṛṣṇīnāṃ babhūva sumahānty atha māgadhasya mahāmātyair nṛpaiś caivānuyāyibhiḥ

Protected by the strong western Dhārtarāṣṭras, the battles of the Vṛṣṇis grew great against the great officers of the Magadha king and the kings who followed him.

Verse 2

द्वंद्वयुद्धं समभवत् सेनयोर् उभयोस् तदा रुक्मिणा वासुदेवस्य भीष्मकस्याहुकेन च क्राथस्य वसुदेवेन कौशिकस्य च बभ्रुणा गदेन चेदिराजस्य दन्तवक्त्रस्य शंभुना

dvaṃdvayuddhaṃ samabhavat senayor ubhayos tadā rukmiṇā vāsudevasya bhīṣmakasyāhukena ca krāthasya vasudevena kauśikasya ca babhruṇā gadena cedirājasya dantavaktrasya śaṃbhunā

Verse 3

विन्दानुविन्दाव् आवन्त्यौ युयुधानेन संगतौ एकलव्यो महाराज प्रद्युम्नेनाथ संगतः तथान्यैर् वृष्णिवीराणां नृपाणां च महात्मनाम् युद्धम् आसीद् धि सैन्यानां सैनिकैर् भरतर्षभ

vindānuvindāv āvantyau yuyudhānena saṃgatau ekalavyo mahārāja pradyumnenātha saṃgataḥ tathānyair vṛṣṇivīrāṇāṃ nṛpāṇāṃ ca mahātmanām yuddham āsīd dhi sainyānāṃ sainikair bharatarṣabha

Verse 4

अहानि पञ्च चैकं च षट् सप्ताष्टौ च दारुणम् गजैर् गजा हयैर् अश्वाः पदाताश् च पदातिभिः रथा रथैर् विमिश्रैश् च योधा युयुधिरे नृप

ahāni pañca caikaṃ ca ṣaṭ saptāṣṭau ca dāruṇam gajair gajā hayair aśvāḥ padātāś ca padātibhiḥ rathā rathair vimiśraiś ca yodhā yuyudhire nṛpa

Verse 5

जरासंधस्य रज्ञस् तु रामेणासीत् समागमः महेन्द्रस्येव वृत्रेण दारुणो लोमहर्षणः

jarāsaṃdhasya rajñas tu rāmeṇāsīt samāgamaḥ mahendrasyeva vṛtreṇa dāruṇo lomaharṣaṇaḥ

Verse 6

अवेक्ष्य रुक्मिणीं कृष्णो रुक्मिणं न व्यपोथयत् ज्वलनार्कांशुसंकाशान् आशीविषविषोपमान् वारयाम् आस कृष्णो वै शरांस् तस्य तु शिक्षया अन्येषां सुमहान् आसीद् बलौघानां परिक्षयः उभयोः सेनयो राजन् मांसशोणितकर्दमः

avekṣya rukmiṇīṃ kṛṣṇo rukmiṇaṃ na vyapothayat jvalanārkāṃśusaṃkāśān āśīviṣaviṣopamān vārayām āsa kṛṣṇo vai śarāṃs tasya tu śikṣayā anyeṣāṃ sumahān āsīd balaughānāṃ parikṣayaḥ ubhayoḥ senayo rājan māṃsaśoṇitakardamaḥ

Verse 7

कबन्धानि समुत्तस्थुः सुबहूनि समन्ततः पिशाचा राक्षसाश् चैव मांसशोणितलालसाः तस्मिन् विमर्दे योधानां संख्याव्यक्तिर् न विद्यते

kabandhāni samuttasthuḥ subahūni samantataḥ piśācā rākṣasāś caiva māṃsaśoṇitalālasāḥ tasmin vimarde yodhānāṃ saṃkhyāvyaktir na vidyate

Verse 8

रथी रामो जरासंधं शरैर् आशीविषोपमैः आवृन्वन्न् अभ्ययाद् वीरस् तं च राजा स मागधः

rathī rāmo jarāsaṃdhaṃ śarair āśīviṣopamaiḥ āvṛnvann abhyayād vīras taṃ ca rājā sa māgadhaḥ

Verse 9

अभ्यवर्तत वेगेन स्यन्दनेनाशुगामिना अन्योन्यं विविधैर् अस्त्रैर् विध्वा विध्वा विनेदतुः तौ क्षीनशस्त्रौ विरथौ हताश्वौ हतसारथी गदे गृहीत्वा विक्रान्ताव् अन्योन्यम् अभिधावताम्

abhyavartata vegena syandanenāśugāminā anyonyaṃ vividhair astrair vidhvā vidhvā vinedatuḥ tau kṣīnaśastrau virathau hatāśvau hatasārathī gade gṛhītvā vikrāntāv anyonyam abhidhāvatām

Verse 10

कम्पयन्तौ भुवं वीरौ ताव् उद्यतमहागदौ ददृशाते महात्मानौ गिरी सशिखराव् उभौ

kampayantau bhuvaṃ vīrau tāv udyatamahāgadau dadṛśāte mahātmānau girī saśikharāv ubhau

Verse 11

व्युपारमन्त युद्धानि प्रेक्षन्तौ पुरुषर्षभौ संरब्धाव् अभिधावन्तौ गदायुद्धेषु विश्रुतौ

vyupāramanta yuddhāni prekṣantau puruṣarṣabhau saṃrabdhāv abhidhāvantau gadāyuddheṣu viśrutau

Verse 12

उभौ तौ परमाचार्यौ लोके ख्यातौ महाबलौ मत्ताव् इव गजौ युद्धे अन्योन्यम् अभिधावताम्

ubhau tau paramācāryau loke khyātau mahābalau mattāv iva gajau yuddhe anyonyam abhidhāvatām

Verse 13

ततो देवाः सगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाश् च परमर्षयः समन्ततश् चाप्सरसः समाजग्मुः सहस्रशः

tato devāḥ sagandharvāḥ siddhāś ca paramarṣayaḥ samantataś cāpsarasaḥ samājagmuḥ sahasraśaḥ

Verse 14

पितामहश् च भगवान् युद्धं द्रष्टुं समागतः तद् देवयक्षगन्धर्व महर्षिभिर् अलंकृतम् शुशुभे ऽभ्यधिकं राजन् दिवं ज्योतिर् गणैर् इव

pitāmahaś ca bhagavān yuddhaṃ draṣṭuṃ samāgataḥ tad devayakṣagandharva maharṣibhir alaṃkṛtam śuśubhe 'bhyadhikaṃ rājan divaṃ jyotir gaṇair iva

Verse 15

अभिदुद्राव रामं तु जरासंधो महाबलः सव्यं मण्डलम् आवृत्य बलदेवस् तु दक्षिणम्

abhidudrāva rāmaṃ tu jarāsaṃdho mahābalaḥ savyaṃ maṇḍalam āvṛtya baladevas tu dakṣiṇam

The mighty Jarāsaṃdha charged Rāma, wheeling to the left; Baladeva wheeled to the right.

Verse 16

तौ प्रजह्रुर् अन्योन्यं गदायुद्धविशारदौ दन्ताभ्याम् इव मातङ्गौ नादयन्तौ दिशो दश

tau prajahrur anyonyaṃ gadāyuddhaviśāradau dantābhyām iva mātaṅgau nādayantau diśo daśa

Verse 17

गदानिपातो रामस्य शुश्रुवे ऽशनिनिस्वनः जरासंधस्य चरणे पर्वतस्येव दीर्यतः

gadānipāto rāmasya śuśruve 'śaninisvanaḥ jarāsaṃdhasya caraṇe parvatasyeva dīryataḥ

Verse 18

न स्म कम्पयते रामं जरासंधकरच्युता गदा गदाभृतां श्रेष्ठं विन्ध्यं गिरिम् इवाचलम्

na sma kampayate rāmaṃ jarāsaṃdhakaracyutā gadā gadābhṛtāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ vindhyaṃ girim ivācalam

Verse 19

रामस्य तु गदावेगं वीर्यात् स मगधेश्वरः सेहे धैर्येण महता शिक्षया च व्यपोहयत्

rāmasya tu gadāvegaṃ vīryāt sa magadheśvaraḥ sehe dhairyeṇa mahatā śikṣayā ca vyapohayat

Verse 20

एवं तौ तत्र संग्रामे विचरन्तौ महाबलौ मण्डलानि विचित्राणि विचेरतुर् अरिंदमौ व्यायच्छन्तौ चिरं कालं परिश्रान्तौ च तस्थतुः समाश्वास्य मुहूर्तं तु पुनर् अन्योन्यम् आहताम् एवं तौ योधमुख्यौ तु समं युयुधतुश् चिरम् न च तौ युद्धवैमुख्यम् उभाव् एव प्रजग्मतुः अथापश्यद् गदायुद्धे विशेषं तस्य वीर्यवान् रामः क्रुद्धो गदां त्यक्त्वा जग्राह मुसलोत्तमम् तम् उद्यतं तदा दृष्ट्वा मुसलं घोरदर्शनम् अमोघं बलदेवेन क्रुद्धेन तु महारणे क्रुद्धो ऽथ रामभद्रस् तु गदया तं जगाम ह जरासंधो ऽथ गदया बलभद्रं समाहनत् प्रथमस् त्व् अथ रामेण गदापादः समाददे द्वितीयो मगधेन्द्रेण तृतीयं तु हलायुधः चतुर्थं तु जरासंधः पञ्चमं तु यदूद्वहः तयोः पादप्रहारश् च चालयाम् आस मेदिनीम् ततो देवाः सगन्धर्वा यक्षाश् च परमर्षयः भीताः स्वस्तीति चैवाहुर् लोकानां ब्रह्मणश् च ह ततः क्रुद्धो जरापुत्रस् ताडयाम् आस वक्षसि शोणितं चोद्वमन् रामः श्रमं च समवाप ह विश्रम्य भूमौ किंचित् तु पुनर् उत्थाय यादवः आहत्य गदया मूर्ध्नि सिंहनादं समानदत् पपात च महीं वीरो गतासुर् इव निःश्वसन् हतो हतो जरासंध इत्य् ऊचुर् यादवेश्वराः संज्ञां च प्रतिलभ्याशु जरासंधः प्रतापवान् गदया च समाजघ्ने वक्षस्य् एव हलायुधम् मूर्च्छां चैव समापेदे संज्ञां च प्रतिलब्धवान् ततो रुधिरराशिस् तु बभौ जलम् इवोद्गतः गदाजर्जरसर्वाङ्गौ रेजतुः किंशुकाव् इव समादीप्तौ तु राजेन्द्र विरथौ विधनुर्धरौ गदाहतौ महावीरौ केवलौ युद्धरङ्गिनौ शुशुभाते गदाहस्तौ परस्परवधैषिणौ द्वाव् एव मृत्यू राजेन्द्र संगताव् इव शोभितौ ततः क्रुद्धो हलधरश् छेत्तुम् ऐच्छज् जरासुतम् ऊरू च पोथयाम् आस गदया राजसंसदि ऊर्वो रक्तं समापेदे मज्जा समभवत् ततः ततो हली जरासंधं शिरश् छेत्तुम् उदैक्षत ततो ऽन्तरिक्षे वाग् आसीत् सुस्वरा लोकसाक्षिणी उवाच बलदेवं तं समुद्यतहलायुधम् न त्वया राम वध्यो ऽयम् अलं खेदेन माधव

evaṃ tau tatra saṃgrāme vicarantau mahābalau maṇḍalāni vicitrāṇi viceratur ariṃdamau vyāyacchantau ciraṃ kālaṃ pariśrāntau ca tasthatuḥ samāśvāsya muhūrtaṃ tu punar anyonyam āhatām evaṃ tau yodhamukhyau tu samaṃ yuyudhatuś ciram na ca tau yuddhavaimukhyam ubhāv eva prajagmatuḥ athāpaśyad gadāyuddhe viśeṣaṃ tasya vīryavān rāmaḥ kruddho gadāṃ tyaktvā jagrāha musalottamam tam udyataṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā musalaṃ ghoradarśanam amoghaṃ baladevena kruddhena tu mahāraṇe kruddho 'tha rāmabhadras tu gadayā taṃ jagāma ha jarāsaṃdho 'tha gadayā balabhadraṃ samāhanat prathamas tv atha rāmeṇa gadāpādaḥ samādade dvitīyo magadhendreṇa tṛtīyaṃ tu halāyudhaḥ caturthaṃ tu jarāsaṃdhaḥ pañcamaṃ tu yadūdvahaḥ tayoḥ pādaprahāraś ca cālayām āsa medinīm tato devāḥ sagandharvā yakṣāś ca paramarṣayaḥ bhītāḥ svastīti caivāhur lokānāṃ brahmaṇaś ca ha tataḥ kruddho jarāputras tāḍayām āsa vakṣasi śoṇitaṃ codvaman rāmaḥ śramaṃ ca samavāpa ha viśramya bhūmau kiṃcit tu punar utthāya yādavaḥ āhatya gadayā mūrdhni siṃhanādaṃ samānadat papāta ca mahīṃ vīro gatāsur iva niḥśvasan hato hato jarāsaṃdha ity ūcur yādaveśvarāḥ saṃjñāṃ ca pratilabhyāśu jarāsaṃdhaḥ pratāpavān gadayā ca samājaghne vakṣasy eva halāyudham mūrcchāṃ caiva samāpede saṃjñāṃ ca pratilabdhavān tato rudhirarāśis tu babhau jalam ivodgataḥ gadājarjarasarvāṅgau rejatuḥ kiṃśukāv iva samādīptau tu rājendra virathau vidhanurdharau gadāhatau mahāvīrau kevalau yuddharaṅginau śuśubhāte gadāhastau parasparavadhaiṣiṇau dvāv eva mṛtyū rājendra saṃgatāv iva śobhitau tataḥ kruddho haladharaś chettum aicchaj jarāsutam ūrū ca pothayām āsa gadayā rājasaṃsadi ūrvo raktaṃ samāpede majjā samabhavat tataḥ tato halī jarāsaṃdhaṃ śiraś chettum udaikṣata tato 'ntarikṣe vāg āsīt susvarā lokasākṣiṇī uvāca baladevaṃ taṃ samudyatahalāyudham na tvayā rāma vadhyo 'yam alaṃ khedena mādhava

Verse 21

विहितो ऽस्य मया मृत्युस् तस्मात् साधु व्युपारम अचिरेणैव कालेन प्राणांस् त्यक्ष्यति मागधः

vihito 'sya mayā mṛtyus tasmāt sādhu vyupārama acireṇaiva kālena prāṇāṃs tyakṣyati māgadhaḥ

Verse 22

जरासंधस् तु तच् छ्रुत्वा विमनाः समपद्यत न प्रजह्रे ततस् तस्मै पुनर् एव हलायुधः तौ व्युपारमतां चैव वृष्णयस् ते च पार्थिवाः

jarāsaṃdhas tu tac chrutvā vimanāḥ samapadyata na prajahre tatas tasmai punar eva halāyudhaḥ tau vyupāramatāṃ caiva vṛṣṇayas te ca pārthivāḥ

Verse 23

प्रसक्तम् अभवद् युद्धं तेषाम् एव महात्मनाम् दीर्घकालं महाराज निघ्नताम् इतरेतराम्

prasaktam abhavad yuddhaṃ teṣām eva mahātmanām dīrghakālaṃ mahārāja nighnatām itaretarām

Verse 24

ते सर्वे निर्जिता राजन् कृष्णेन रिपुघातिना जरासंधेन सहिता विप्रजग्मुर् यथागतम् पराजिते त्व् अपक्रान्ते जरासंधे महीपतौ अस्तं याते दिनकरे नानुसस्रुस् तदा निशि

te sarve nirjitā rājan kṛṣṇena ripughātinā jarāsaṃdhena sahitā viprajagmur yathāgatam parājite tv apakrānte jarāsaṃdhe mahīpatau astaṃ yāte dinakare nānusasrus tadā niśi

Verse 25

वृष्णयश् च महाभागाः कृष्णसंकर्षणाश्रयाः समानीय स्वसैन्यं तु लब्धलक्ष्या महाबलाः पुरीं प्रविविशुर् हृष्टाः केशवेनाभिपूजिताः

vṛṣṇayaś ca mahābhāgāḥ kṛṣṇasaṃkarṣaṇāśrayāḥ samānīya svasainyaṃ tu labdhalakṣyā mahābalāḥ purīṃ praviviśur hṛṣṭāḥ keśavenābhipūjitāḥ

Verse 26

खाच् च्युतान्य् आयुधान्य् एव तान्य् एवान्तर्दधुस् तदा जरासंधो ऽपि नृपतिर् विमनाः स्वपुरं ययौ राजानश् चानुगा ये ऽस्य स्वराष्ट्राण्य् एव ते ययुः जरासंधं तु ते जित्वा मन्यन्ते नैव तं जितम् वृष्णयः कुरुशार्दूल राजा ह्य् अतिबलः स वै

khāc cyutāny āyudhāny eva tāny evāntardadhus tadā jarāsaṃdho 'pi nṛpatir vimanāḥ svapuraṃ yayau rājānaś cānugā ye 'sya svarāṣṭrāṇy eva te yayuḥ jarāsaṃdhaṃ tu te jitvā manyante naiva taṃ jitam vṛṣṇayaḥ kuruśārdūla rājā hy atibalaḥ sa vai

Verse 27

को नाम हि जरासंधं रणे जेतुं महीपतिः शक्नुयाल् लोकविख्यातः साक्षाद् अपि शतक्रतुः दश चाष्टौ च संग्रामाञ् जरासंधस्य यादवाः ददुर् न चैनं समरे हन्तुं शेकुर् महारथाः

ko nāma hi jarāsaṃdhaṃ raṇe jetuṃ mahīpatiḥ śaknuyāl lokavikhyātaḥ sākṣād api śatakratuḥ daśa cāṣṭau ca saṃgrāmāñ jarāsaṃdhasya yādavāḥ dadur na cainaṃ samare hantuṃ śekur mahārathāḥ

Verse 28

कृष्णस् तु समरे राजञ् शक्तिमान् अपि मागधम् अन्यो मृत्युर् इति ज्ञात्वा न च हिंसितवान् प्रभुः अक्षौहिण्यो हि तस्यासन् विंशतिर् भरतर्षभ जरासंधस्य नृपतेस् तदर्थं याः समागताः

kṛṣṇas tu samare rājañ śaktimān api māgadham anyo mṛtyur iti jñātvā na ca hiṃsitavān prabhuḥ akṣauhiṇyo hi tasyāsan viṃśatir bharatarṣabha jarāsaṃdhasya nṛpates tadarthaṃ yāḥ samāgatāḥ

Verse 29

अल्पत्वाद् अभिभूतास् तु वृष्णयो भरतर्षभ बार्हद्रथेन राजेन्द्र राजभिः सहितेन वै

alpatvād abhibhūtās tu vṛṣṇayo bharatarṣabha bārhadrathena rājendra rājabhiḥ sahitena vai

Verse 30

भूयः कृत्वोद्यमं प्रायाद् यादवान् कृष्णपालितान् जित्वा तु मागधं संख्ये जरासंधं महीपतिम् विहरन्ति स्म सुखिनो वृष्णिसिंहा महारथाः

bhūyaḥ kṛtvodyamaṃ prāyād yādavān kṛṣṇapālitān jitvā tu māgadhaṃ saṃkhye jarāsaṃdhaṃ mahīpatim viharanti sma sukhino vṛṣṇisiṃhā mahārathāḥ

Making another effort, Jarāsaṃdha set out against the Yādavas under Kṛṣṇa's protection. But having defeated the Magadha king in open fight, the Vṛṣṇi lions, the great chariot-warriors, roamed, happy.

Verse commentary

Balarāma's Mace-Duel with Jarāsandha and the Restraint

बलदेवजरासंधयोर् गदायुद्धं संयमश् च

Verses 5, 10, 15, 22, 24, 27, 28: Balarāma and Jarāsandha meeting 'like Indra and Vṛtra', the two heroes as mountains with peaks raised in mace-combat, Jarāsandha attacking Balarāma as each circles, the dispirited Jarāsandha after Balarāma hears the heaven-voice and does not strike again, the Yādavas re-entering Mathurā in victory, the eighteen battles fought and Jarāsandha never killed because Kṛṣṇa knew 'another is his death', and the identification of the twenty akṣauhiṇīs Jarāsandha had brought. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 82 is the chapter of the first great mace-duel between Balarāma and Jarāsandha. The combat is described with full Vedic music — 'like Indra and Vṛtra, fearful, hair-bristling' — and the two are compared to mountains with their peaks raised. Balarāma brings Jarāsandha to the edge of death, and at the decisive moment, a heaven-voice forbids the final stroke: 'his death is reserved for another'. Balarāma stops. The Yādavas re-enter Mathurā; the apparently-defeated Jarāsandha retires with his twenty akṣauhiṇīs. The chapter names a remarkable datum: eighteen times the Yādavas fought Jarāsandha, and Kṛṣṇa, though able, never killed him — *anyo mṛtyur iti jñātvā*, 'knowing another was his death'. The chapter is the Harivaṃśa's theology of deferred victory.

HV 82.5

जरासंधस्य राज्ञस् तु रामेणासीत् समागमः । महेन्द्रस्येव वृत्रेण दारुणो लोमहर्षणः ॥

jarāsaṃdhasya rājñas tu rāmeṇāsīt samāgamaḥ | mahendrasyeva vṛtreṇa dāruṇo loma-harṣaṇaḥ

The meeting of King Jarāsandha with Rāma was like that of Mahendra with Vṛtra — terrible, hair-bristling.

The Living Words

*Samāgamaḥ*, 'meeting, encounter'. *Mahendrasyeva vṛtreṇa*, 'as of Mahendra with Vṛtra'. *Dāruṇaḥ loma-harṣaṇaḥ*, 'terrible, hair-bristling'.

The Heart of It

The verse frames the duel in Vedic terms. *Mahendrasyeva vṛtreṇa* — the comparison to the Indra-Vṛtra combat is the Sanskrit cosmos's most famous. The Varkari tradition's close attention to the epic's use of this figure: Balarāma is not compared to a Mahābhārata warrior but to the Vedic Indra; Jarāsandha becomes the Vedic Vṛtra. The quarrel is moved into the oldest category. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh too often uses Indra-Vṛtra imagery for the battle of bhakti against the inner asuric coil; HV 82.5 is part of that lineage.

HV 82.10

कम्पयन्तौ भुवं वीरौ ताव् उद्यतमहागदौ । ददृशाते महात्मानौ गिरी सशिखराव् उभौ ॥

kampayantau bhuvaṃ vīrau tāv udyata-mahā-gadau | dadṛśāte mahātmānau girī sa-śikharāv ubhau

Shaking the earth, those two heroes — great-maces uplifted — appeared like two mountains, both with their peaks raised.

The Living Words

*Kampayantau bhuvam*, 'shaking the earth'. *Udyata-mahā-gadau*, 'with great-maces uplifted'. *Girī sa-śikharau ubhau*, 'both mountains with peaks'. An arresting visual.

The Heart of It

The verse renders the duel as geology. *Girī sa-śikharāv ubhau* — 'both mountains with peaks'. The Varkari tradition's poetic sense delights in this image: the epic moment is natural topography made animate. Jñāneśvar's own style draws on exactly this technique: the bhakta's struggles are not domesticated; they are mountain-scaled. HV 82.10 renders combat as landform, and invites the reader to see the land, not only the combatants.

HV 82.15

अभिदुद्राव रामं तु जरासंधो महाबलः । सव्यं मण्डलम् आवृत्य बलदेवस् तु दक्षिणम् ॥

abhidudrāva rāmaṃ tu jarāsaṃdho mahā-balaḥ | savyaṃ maṇḍalam āvṛtya baladevas tu dakṣiṇam

Jarāsandha, the great-strengthed, rushed at Rāma — circling leftward; and Baladeva rightward.

The Living Words

*Abhidudrāva*, 'rushed at'. *Savyaṃ maṇḍalam āvṛtya*, 'circling leftward'. *Dakṣiṇam*, 'rightward'. The choreography is specific.

The Heart of It

The verse captures the mace-duel's formal geometry. *Savyaṃ maṇḍalam... dakṣiṇam* — the two heroes circle in opposite directions, Jarāsandha left, Baladeva right. The Varkari tradition's long attention to *savya-dakṣiṇa* symbolism — that the inner enemies and the bhakta's *vāma-mārga* and *dakṣiṇa-mārga* circle each other in an endless duel — is implicit here. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh treats *savya-dakṣiṇa* not as geometry but as the bhakta's daily encounter with opposite tendencies: grace circles the inner asura, neither catching him nor being caught.

HV 82.22

जरासंधस् तु तच् छ्रुत्वा विमनाः समपद्यत । न प्रजह्रे ततस् तस्मै पुनर् एव हलायुधः ॥

jarāsaṃdhas tu tac chrutvā vi-manāḥ samapadyata | na prajahre tatas tasmai punar eva halāyudhaḥ

Hearing that [the heaven-voice], Jarāsandha became dispirited; and Halāyudha struck no more against him.

The Living Words

*Tac chrutvā*, 'hearing that [the deva-vāṇī about to be named]'. *Vi-manāḥ samapadyata*, 'became dispirited'. *Na prajahre punaḥ eva*, 'struck no more'. *Halāyudhaḥ*, 'the plough-wielder (Balarāma)'.

The Heart of It

The verse captures the strange moment when a voice from above halts Balarāma's final stroke. *Na prajahre tatas tasmai* — 'he struck no more'. The Varkari tradition's teaching that the bhakta who has his enemy at mace-length and does not strike when forbidden from above — that such restraint is itself the bhakta's highest discipline — is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's repeated counsel to the bhakta to hear the divine *vāṇī* even when the killing blow is already raised, and to lower the arm when told, has HV 82.22 as its Sanskrit paradigm.

HV 82.24

ते सर्वे निर्जिता राजन् कृष्णेन रिपुघातिना । जरासंधेन सहिता विप्रजग्मुर् यथागतम् ॥

te sarve nirjitā rājan kṛṣṇena ripu-ghātinā | jarāsaṃdhena sahitā viprajagmur yathāgatam

All of those were defeated, O king, by the enemy-destroyer Kṛṣṇa; together with Jarāsandha, they went back as they had come.

The Living Words

*Nirjitā*, 'defeated'. *Kṛṣṇena ripu-ghātinā*, 'by Kṛṣṇa the enemy-destroyer'. *Sahitā viprajagmuḥ*, 'together they went back'. *Yathāgatam*, 'as they had come'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the Harivaṃśa's most economical closing of a combat. *Viprajagmuḥ yathāgatam* — 'they went back as they had come'. Not destroyed, not routed with the classical flourish — simply sent back the way they came. The Varkari tradition's observation that the bhakta's work is sometimes complete not with the enemy's destruction but with his return 'as he had come' — that the enemy learns nothing and yet is removed from the field — is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh understands: sometimes the grace sends the asura back home unchanged. The city is saved; that is enough.

HV 82.27

को नाम हि जरासंधं रणे जेतुं महीपतिः । शक्नुयाल् लोकविख्यातः साक्षाद् अपि शतक्रतुः । दश चाष्टौ च संग्रामाञ् जरासंधस्य यादवाः । ददुर् न चैनं समरे हन्तुं शेकुर् महारथाः ॥

ko nāma hi jarāsaṃdhaṃ raṇe jetuṃ mahīpatiḥ | śaknuyāl loka-vikhyātaḥ sākṣād api śata-kratuḥ | daśa cāṣṭau ca saṃgrāmāñ jarāsaṃdhasya yādavāḥ | dadur na cainaṃ samare hantuṃ śekur mahā-rathāḥ

'What king, renowned in the world — not even Śatakratu himself — could defeat Jarāsandha in combat? Eighteen battles the Yādavas gave Jarāsandha, and those great charioteers could not slay him in combat.'

The Living Words

*Ko nāma hi... śaknuyāt*, 'what name... could?'. *Sākṣād api śata-kratuḥ*, 'not even Śatakratu (Indra) himself'. *Daśa cāṣṭau ca saṃgrāmān*, 'ten and eight combats' — the number eighteen (cf. Bhagavad Gītā's eighteen chapters, Mahābhārata's eighteen parvans). *Na enaṃ hantuṃ śekuḥ*, 'could not kill him'.

The Heart of It

The verse names one of the Harivaṃśa's most striking theological data. *Daśa cāṣṭau ca saṃgrāmān* — eighteen battles. Eighteen. The Varkari tradition's delight at this number: the Gītā has eighteen chapters; the Mahābhārata eighteen parvans; the Harivaṃśa names eighteen battles between the Yādavas and Jarāsandha. Eighteen is the number of what must be done before the moment of release arrives. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh has been read as the bhakta's eighteen encounters with the inner Jarāsandha: eighteen wars, and still the enemy lives — until, finally, the right other (Bhīma) arrives.

HV 82.28

कृष्णस् तु समरे राजञ् शक्तिमान् अपि मागधम् । अन्यो मृत्युर् इति ज्ञात्वा न च हिंसितवान् प्रभुः ॥

kṛṣṇas tu samare rājañ śaktimān api māgadham | anyo mṛtyur iti jñātvā na ca hiṃsitavān prabhuḥ

Kṛṣṇa in combat, O king, though able, did not kill the Māgadha — knowing 'another is his death'.

The Living Words

*Śaktimān api*, 'though able'. *Anyo mṛtyur iti jñātvā*, 'knowing another is his death'. *Na ca hiṃsitavān prabhuḥ*, 'the Lord did not kill'.

The Heart of It

The verse names the Harivaṃśa's deep theology of restraint. *Śaktimān api... anyo mṛtyuḥ* — 'though able... another [is the death]'. Kṛṣṇa knows who Jarāsandha's appointed executioner is — Bhīma, many years later — and withholds his own hand. The Varkari tradition's teaching that the Lord restrains his own ability in order not to rob another bhakta of their appointed service is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's careful respect for the roles of other bhaktas — never claiming service that belongs to another — has HV 82.28 as its model. The Lord is the greatest example of not doing what another is meant to do.

Thread

The seven verses trace the chapter's shape: the Vedic-scaled meeting of Rāma and Jarāsandha (82.5), the two as mountains with peaks raised (82.10), the left-and-right circling of the mace-duel (82.15), Jarāsandha's dispirited state as the heaven-voice halts Balarāma (82.22), the defeated army's quiet retreat 'as they had come' (82.24), the naming of eighteen battles and Jarāsandha's persistent survival (82.27), and the Lord's restraint — 'though able, knowing another was his death' (82.28). The Harivaṃśa's quiet theology of deferred victory.

Echo in the saints

HV 82's central teaching — *anyo mṛtyur iti jñātvā na ca hiṃsitavān* — has been read by Warkari commentators as one of the Harivaṃśa's deepest statements of the Lord's *saṃyama*, self-restraint. The Lord does not claim every work as his own; he withholds his strength when another bhakta's service is prepared. Jñāneśvar's own respect for the specific work of each saint in the lineage — his repeated refusal to claim what Nivṛttināth has transmitted, or what Muktabai or Cāṅgadeva have done — is in HV 82.28's spirit. And the number eighteen has, for the Warkari tradition, acquired the weight of all the epic's eighteens: eighteen encounters are what the bhakta makes before the appointed destruction arrives.

Scripture references

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 3.24

The Lord restrains his power, acting by role.

उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् । सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः ॥

utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṃ karma ced aham | saṅkarasya ca kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ

These worlds would perish if I did not perform action; I would be the cause of confusion and would destroy these creatures.

The Gītā's teaching that the Lord acts not for himself but by the needs of role — and that he restrains his action to what role requires — is narrated in HV 82.28. Kṛṣṇa withholds the killing of Jarāsandha precisely because his role is not the killer; Bhīma's role is. The two verses teach role-responsibility at cosmic and epic scales together.

Vulgate additions for this adhyāya

3 sections of Appendix I attach here. These are passages preserved in manuscripts outside the critical text.

BORI critical edition, ed. P. L. Vaidya (1969). Digital text from the GRETIL Zurich constituted text. Distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.