Tribes in Ancient India c50.37

c50.37

mountains on all sides'.¹ One of the ancient names of Rājagṛha was Bārhadrathapura, after Jarāsandha. According to the *Viṣṇupurāṇa*, Jarāsandha gave his two daughters in marriage to Kaṃsa, king of Mathurā, and when Kaṃsa was killed by Kṛṣṇa, Jarāsandha marched with his army to Mathurā to destroy Kṛṣṇa with all the Yādavas, only to be repulsed with heavy loss.² From other sources, however, we learn that Jarāsandha besieged Mathurā with his large army of 23 akṣauhiṇīs, defeated many of the kings of N. India, and kept them imprisoned in Girivraja, it is said in a temple of Śiva, in order to sacrifice them to the god.³ According to the *Śāntiparvan* of the *Mahābhārata*, Jarāsandha, hearing of the valour of Karṇa, fought with him, but was defeated, and being pleased with his great skill in arms, made him king of the city of Mālinī.⁴ In the *Ādiparvan*, Jarāsandha is represented as a reincarnation of Vipracitti, a chief of the demons.⁵ Jarāsandha exercised such great power that without defeating him it was not possible for Yudhiṣṭhira to assume the status of a paramount sovereign and perform the Rājasūya sacrifice. The *Bhāgavatapurāṇa* narrates that Bhīma, Arjuna, and Kṛṣṇa went to Girivraja where Bhīma killed Jarāsandha, and Kṛṣṇa made Sahadeva (Jarāsandha's son) king of Magadha, and released all the kings imprisoned by Jarāsandha.⁶ The *Sabhāparvan* relates that Bhīma proceeded again to Girivraja where he forced Sahadeva to pay taxes to him; and at the Rājasūya sacrifice, Sahadeva was present as one of the vassals of the Pāṇḍavas.⁷ In the Kurukṣetra battle, Dhṛṣṭaketu, son of Jarāsandha, helped the Pāṇḍavas with a fourfold army.⁸ After the battle of Kurukṣetra, when the horse let loose at the Aśvamedha sacrifice of Yudhiṣṭhira was proceeding towards Hastināpura, Meghasandhi, son of Sahadeva of Magadha, offered battle to Arjuna, but was defeated by him.⁹