Rajasooya yagna and the killing of Jarasanthan

When Dhiruthrashtra came to know that The Pandavas had married Draupadi,  he knew that the support of Drupadha, the father of Draupadi with his powerful army and other kings on the side of Pandavas would have problems for his son Duryodhana who could not get Draupadi as his wife in the Swayamvaram.  Dhiruthrashtra called the Pandavas and offered them felicitations and their share of the kingdom and christened it as Indraprastha.

Udhistra established Indraprasta as the country of Pandavas and started to rule it as the king, with the support of his brothers and ruled it so well, people became very happy with his rule and were looked after well with all facilities. 

Udhishtra also did RAJASOOYA Yaga ( A penance of utmost importance to get super powers which was done only by the King of Kings and by one who is of good virtues and who looks after his subjects  properly and is feared by all his enemies.) Krishna was called to come and participate in this Yaga in which all kings who were invited, participated. But there was one problem as the King Jarasanthan was the reigning  King of Kings and once he was dethroned, then only Udhistra could become the King of Kings and hence Jarasanthan had to be defeated. Jarasanthan had arrested and defeated  eighty six kings and held them prisoners.
 

 “So we have to release them also. He has planned to kill them as cows for his yaga and hence we had to protect them and I, Arjun and Bheem would go to him and defeat him,” said Lord Krishna.

Pirukrathan, the father of Jarasanthan,  was ruling Magatha kingdom and had married the twin daughters of the King of Kasi. He did not have any children and went and asked a sage called Sanda Kausika  for helping him to get a son. The sage gave him a divine mango and asked him to give it to his wife. Since Pirukrathan had two wives he gave the fruit to his wives to take it and they cut it into two and ate it. Both became pregnant and delivered after some time but the babies born were of two halves of a full baby, one each to  each wife. They had one eye, one ear, one leg, one hand and a truncated other parts. The king was pained to have such a baby as his son and asked his servants to throw the babies which were alive with  to throw it away. The servants also threw them away. A Rakshsa ( These Rakshasas are people of extreme strength and power and have more animal habits then humans)  woman who was in hungry saw the two parts of the baby and took it and joint it to eat when the two bodies became one. She took it to the king, told about it joining into one and gave it to the King.

Pirukrathan was happy to have his son and the King gave the child to his wives who were happy to have their son and brought it up.  This child was named as Jarasanthan. Since the two parts  joined into one it has the capacity to split again and join again.

Killing Jarasanthan with powerful armies could not be defeated in a war  so Krishna wanted to kill him in single combat and He, Arjun and Bheem went to him disguised as Brahmins and asked him to fight any one of  them  and told him to select himself any one of them to fight. Jarasanthan told them since Krishna was a shepherd he could not fight him, Arjun very young and hence  he would select Bheem and fight with him.

They, Jarasanthan and Bheem  had agreed to wrestle without any weapons and started wrestling and went on wrestling. As both were equal they fight was quite powerful and lasted for thirteen days. They fought without food or water and both became tired. On the Fourteenth day Jarasanthan became very weak and Krishna  told Bheem to kill him immediately as he had become weak and tired. Bheem took Jarasanthan, rolled him over his head hundred times and tore his body into two. Immediately the two parts joined together and Jarasanthan came back to life and again fought Bheem. Bheem was frustrated and then Krishna took a piece of grass and tore it into two pieces but put them in opposite directions. Bheem understood it and again took Jarasanthan  by his legs and tore him into two pieces and put the two parts of bodies in opposite directions and this time the bodies could not join together and he died.

After his death Krishna and friends released the jailed Kings and came to Indraprastha and celebrated the Raja Sooya Yagam and ruled happily there after.

When the Rajasooya yagnam was celebrated all kings were called and on that occasion the most favoured king was to be selected to preside over the function and the Pandavas had  selected Krishna to preside.

This was resented by Sisubala, another king and the cousin of Krishna who went on abusing Krishna and insulted him even after Krishna told him that he would allow him to insult only one hundred times and when he exceeded that he would be killed.

On this occasion Sisubala, the cousin of Krishna was killed by Krishna as he abused Krishna continuously over 100 times  even though Krishna had warned him that he would be killed if he abuse and insult him one hundred times as Krishna had promised Sisubala’s mother who was Krishna’s aunt that he would not harm Sisubala till he abuse and insult him hundred times.

Sisubala’s mother knew of the curse that Krishna would kill her son  when they were very young. So she went and asked Krishna not to harm Sisubala. Krishna agreed to this request but told his aunt that by fate he had to ill Sisubala but he would give him time till he abuse and insult him one hundred times and when he exceeded this he would kill him.