Jarasandha

According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Jarasandha was a powerful king of Magadha. He was a descendant of king Brihadratha, the creator of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to Vayu Purana, the descendants of Brihadratha (Jarasandha's father) ruled Magadha for 2600 years followed by the Haryanka dynasty.He is ningth pratinarayana according to harivansha puran

Jarasandha
Mahabharata character
Painting showing Bhima slaying Jarasandha
SuccessorSahadeva
PredecessorBrihadratha
WeaponGada
dynastyBrihadratha
In-universe information
FamilyBrihadratha
ChildrenSahadeva
Asti and Prapti (wives of Kamsa)

Etymology

The word Jarasandha has been explained as a combination of two Sanskrit words: jara (जरा) and sandha (सन्ध), "joining". a Rakshasi Jara picked the two halves of Jarasandha together after finding them near a tree. When the two halves came together, a boy was formed and cried loudly. Jara carried the son and returned it to the King. In return for saving Brihadratha's son, he was named Jarasandha after her. The meaning of Jarasandha is "the one who is joined by Jara".[1][2]

Legend about his birth
Birth of Jarasandha
Jara merges two parts of Jarasandha

Jarasandha is considered the incarnation of the Danava king Viprachitti. Jarasandha's father king Brihadratha was married to the twin daughters of the king of Kashi. Brihadratha loved both his wives equally, but had no sons. Once sage Chandakaushika visited his kingdom and gave a fruit to the king as a boon. The king divided the fruit equally and gave to both of his wives. Soon, both wives became pregnant and gave birth to two halves of a human body. These two lifeless halves were very horrifying to view. So, Brihadratha ordered these to be thrown in the forest. A Rakshasi Jara found the two pieces and held each of them in her two palms. Incidentally, when she brought both of her palms together, the two pieces joined giving rise to a living child. The child cried loudly which created panic for Jara. Not having the heart to eat a living child, the demoness gave it to the king and explained to him all that had happened. The father was overjoyed to see him.[3]

Chandakaushika arrived at the court and saved the child. He prophesied to Brihadratha that his son would be specially gifted and would be a great devotee of the god Shiva.

Battle between Balarama and Jarasandha. Illustration from a Bhagavata Purana series.
Bhima and Jarasandh Wrestling

References

Citations
  1. "Jarasandha was a very powerful king of Magadha, and the history of his birth and activities is also very interesting - Vaniquotes". vaniquotes.org. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  2. "Mahabharat Episode 28: Jarasandha – Born Divided". sadhguru.org. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. Chandrakant, Kamala (1977). Krishna and Jarasandha. India Book House Ltd. pp. 3–5. ISBN 81-7508-080-9.

4. Chandravanshi Kshatriya, Rajput Vansha ( Rajput Vanshawali by maharaj

Thakur Ishwar Singh Madadh)

Sources
  • Gibbs,Laura. Ph.D. Jarasandha Modern Languages MLLL-4993. Indian Epics.
  • Dowson, John (1820–1881). A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. London: Trübner, 1879 [Reprint, London: Routledge, 1979]. ISBN 0-415-24521-4
  • Original Mahabharata by Shri Ved Vyasa
  • Gita press,Gorakhpur edition of Mahābhārata
  • Ramanand Sagar's "SHRI KRISHNA" serial
  • MRITYUNJAY-the story of Karna.
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