Fatigue of Jarasandha

Vaishampayana said The excellent speaker, the descendant of Yadu (Krishna), then thus addressed the king Jarasandha who was resolved upon fight.

Krishna said O king, with whom amongst us three you have the mind to fight? Who amongst us should be ready for battle (with you)?

Vaishampayana said Having been thus addressed, the king of Magadha, the greatly effulgent Jarasandha, desired to fight with Bhimasena.

The priest brought the yellow pigment obtained from the cow, garlands of flowers, and other auspicious articles, and also various excellent medicines for restoring lost consciousness and for alleviating pains. He came (with these articles) to the king Jarasandha who was panting for fight.

The king's propitiatory ceremonies with benedictions having been performed by an illustrious Brahmana, Jarasandha, remembering the duty of a Kshatriya, dressed himself for battle.

Removing his crown and properly binding his hair, Jarasandha stood up like an ocean bursting through its shore.

The terribly powerful and intelligent king then thus spoke to Bhima, “O Bhima, I shall fight with you. It is better to be vanquished by a superior man."

Having said this, the greatly effulgent Jarasandha, that chastiser of foes, rushed at Bhimasena like the Asura Bala at Shakra (Indra).

After having consulted with Krishna and having his propitiatory ceremonies with benedictions been performed by him (Krishna), the powerful Bhimasena also advanced towards Jarasandha with the desire of fight.

Then those two best of men, those two greatly powerful heroes with their bare arms as their only weapons, being each eagerly desirous of defeating the other, cheerfully engaged in the fight.

Seizing each other's arms and twining each other's legs, they slapped their arm-pits. They caused the arena to tremble with that sounds.

O lord, seizing each other's necks with their hands now and again, and dragging and pushing them with great force, each pressed every limb of the other's body and began to roar.

Sometimes stretching their arms, sometimes drawing them close, sometimes raising them up and sometimes dropping them down, they began to seize each other. Striking neck against neck and forehead against forehead, they caused fiery sparks to emit like the flashes of lightning.

Grasping each other by arms in various ways and kicking each other with such force as to impress the innermost nerves, they struck at cach other's breast with clenched fists and with their bare arms at their only weapons. Roaring like clouds, they grasped and struck each other like two mad elephants fighting with their trunks.

Becoming angry at each other's blow they dragged and pushed each other, and they fought on, looking fiercely at each other like two angry lions.

Each striking every limb of the other, and each catching hold of the other's waist, they hurled each other to a great distance.

Both the heroes were greatly accomplished in wrestling; each clasping the other with arms and each dragging the other to himself, they began to press each other with great force.

They then performed the grandest of all feats in wrestling namely Prishthabhanga, they also performed the feats, called Sampurva Nemcha and Purnakumbha.

They also performed the feats Trinapida at pleasure, and then the feat Purna yoga with fists. Thus did not two heroes fight with each other.

O best of men, thousands of citizens, consisting of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, and also women and even old men, came out and assembled there to witness the fight. The crowed became so great that it grew to be a solid mass of human beings with no space between two persons.

The sound they made by the slapping of arins by the seizing of each other's necks, and by the grasping of each other's legs became so loud that if resembled the roar of thunder or the noise of a falling cliff.

Both of them were foremost of strong and powerful men, and both took great delight in such fights. Each was eager to vanquish the other, and each was on the alert to take advantage of the slightest carelessness of the other.

O king, the powerful Bhima and Jarasandha, like Vitra and Vasava of old, terribly fought on in the arena, driving the people at times by the motions of their hands.

Pressing each other forward and dragging each other backward, throwing each other's face downwards and side ways with sudden jerks, they dreadfully mangled each other. They struck each other with keen joints. They loudly addressed each other in stinging words; they struck each other with keen joints. They loudly addressed each other in stinging words; they struck each other with clenched fists, the blow descending like a mass of stone on another mass of stone. With broad shoulders and long arms the two well-skilled wrestlers struck each other with their long arms which were like clubs made of iron.

The fight began on the first day of the month of Kartika, and those two illustrious heroes fought on continuously without food, and without intermission of day or night till the thirteenth day. It was on the night of the fourteenth day, the Magadha king stopped from fatigue.

O king, seeing the monarch (Jarasandha) tried, Janardana (Krishna) thus spoke to Bhima of terrible deeds to encourage him.

Krishna said O son of Kunti, the foe that has become tried in the fight.cannot be pressed. If pressed at such a time, he may even die.

Therefore, O son of Kunti, you should not oppress this king (now). O best of the Bharata race, fight with your arms only in such a way as your antagonist may be equal to you.

Vaishampayana said Having been thus addressed by Krishna, and knowing the state of Jarasandha, the Pandava (Bhima), the slayer of hostile heroes, determined to kill him.

That foremost of all strong men, that descendant of Kuru, Vrikodara (Bhima), mustered all his strength and courage with the desire of now vanquishing the hitherto unvanquished Jarasandha.