As the Jarasandha-vadha parva of the Mahabharata progresses, the nuances of Krishna’s plot against his number one enemy reveal themselves. Dressed as snataka (graduating) brahmanas, Krishna, Arjuna and Bhima travel eastwards, towards the capital city of the Magadha empire. Their attire has a specific purpose — Jarasandha cannot be outright aggressive with brahmans, and thus the attire ensures that Krishna will get to have a conversation when the three meet Jarasandha.
The path from Indraprastha to Magadha goes through several other kingdoms, so a brahman disguise is also a way to pass through unimpeded. It is not the first time that Bhima and Arjuna have approached a king in brahman attire — they did they same when they went for Draupadi’s swayamvara in the capital of the Panchala kingdom. Regular readers of this column will note that, just as in Drupada’s court, the brahman disguise shall provide some initial security to them.
The capital of Magadha is surrounded by five fortified hills, and the trio break through one of these to enter the city, where a procession in the honour of king Jarasandha — with him at the centre — is taking place. To draw attention, the three snataka brahmans adorn themselves with garlands and smear aloe paste on their bodies. Jarasandha stops the procession and, after his paying his respects, offers them a welcome drink. When the three don’t accept it, Jarasandha asks them to have seats and enquires them about their true identities. He has noticed that the three brahmans bear kshatriya signs (“your arms bear the marks of wielding bowstrings”).
Krishna then begins an argument by saying that Jarasandha’s capture of kshatriya kings and his desire to sacrifice them all in the name of Shiva is not an act of dharma. Jarasandha has a different point of view, whereby he sees himself as a kshatriya king who is supposed to take other kings under his dominion and do as he wishes with them. Krishna then reveals his own identity and that of the two Pandava brothers, also mentioning that their mission here is to fight Jarasandha and free the kings.
At this point, it is possible for Jarasandha to have the avenging trio slaughtered by his men, but having been irked by Krishna’s temerity in appearing unarmed before him, his own pride makes that option unviable. When he is asked to choose who he wants to fight with, Jarasandha’s pride pushes him to choose the visibly strongest adversary — Bhima.
This very outcome — a wrestling match between Jarasandha and Bhima — is what Krishna had been hoping for from the beginning. Looking back, we see that the tactic of taking a brahman disguise and walking in unarmed, combined with an assumption of Jarasandha’s pride, all but ensured the subsequent chain of events.
The fight between Jarasandha and Bhima continued for fourteen days. After the Pandava killed the king of Magadha, Krishna freed the imprisoned kings, all of whom swore loyalty to Krishna, and thus, by extension, guaranteed support for Yudhistira’s rajasuya sacrifice.