This episode of Mahabharata begins with a wrestling bout - except this bout is to the death. Bhim fights Jarasandh in an unarmed combat duel, overpowering him easily. Upon receiving a signal from Krishna to do so, Bhim rips Jarasandh in half right down the middle, but the two halves always recombine. Krishna notions for Bhim to rip Jarasandh in half once more, but this time fling the right half leftward and the left half rightward. This prevents Jarasandh from recombining, killing him. The victorious princes proceed to free the eighty six captured kings. Even Jarasandh’s son begs forgiveness. All these kings now become allied with Indraprasth and the Pandavas.
Having acquired lots of allies and territory, Yudhistir feels it appropriate to perform the rajasuya ritual that declares him Emperor of the Subcontinent. Such a ritual can only be performed if one has the political and military power to compel a majority of kings to recognize his title and authority. Yudhistir has invited kings from all over to participate, but all elders from Hastinapur are also invited. Duryodhan seethes with jealous hatred but Shakuni convinces him to hide his claws like a cat.
One of the princes attending this ceremony is Krishna’s cousin and old rival Shishupal. Time narrates the backstory explaining why Krishna will kill Shishupal very soon.
The scene cuts to a queen experiencing a very difficult painful labor. The reason for the difficulty and pain become obvious when the baby emerges - he is born with three eyes and four arms. This baby is Shishupal. The despondent mother pleads if this is some kind of penance for her. A voice from the heavens states that this child will eventually lose his extra eye and arms. But the person responsible for making these extra organs vanish will ultimately kill him. And when younger Krishna comes to visit his baby cousin, he takes the infant into his arms - and the extra arms and eye vanish! Shishupal’s mother pleads with Krishna not yo kill Shishupal no matter what he does. Krishna says that his death is predestined if a prophecy informed her of it. But Krishna can forgive Shishupal of one hundred sins. One more and Shishupal must be killed.
Back in the present, Sage Vyasa arrives so the rajasuya ritual can commence.
Tropes found here are
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Shakuni berates a fuming Duryodhan to start acting like one, if he wants to defeat the Pandavas someday.
- Brawler Lock: Bhim and Jarasandh’s duel starts out this way.
- Catch Wrestling: The type of bout Bhim and Jarasandh have.
- Duel to the Death: Bhim and Jarasandh fight a wrestling duel to the death.
- The Emperor: Yudhistir is now powerful enough to perform the ritual that crowns him one.
- Fanservice / Mud Wrestling: C’mon! Two muscular guys bare chested and barefoot, wearing only an Indian dhoti, grappling in a muddy arena.
- For Want Of A Nail: Time narrates that had Jarasandh done the pragmatic thing and chosen Arjun to duel, his skill at wrestling, compared to Arjun would have resulted in his victory. With Arjun dead, Yudhistir would never have held the rajasuya ritual, thereby never incurring Duryodhan’s jealous ire. There would have been no infamous dice game, no humiliation and ultimately, no Kurukshetra war. The story could very well have ended with a cautious but lasting detente between Indraprasth and Hastinapur. But Jarasandh just had to prove something by picking The Big Guy to have a wrestling bout with.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Jarasandh is ripped in half again multiple times by Bhim. The last time kills him for good.
- Oh, Crap!: When Shishupal is born with extra arms and eye. And another one when upon being touched by Krishna, the extra arms and eye vanish - implying that Krishna will kill Shishupal one day.
- Technician Versus Performer: Jarasandh is a skilled, agile grappler, able to use Bhim’s size and momentum against him. But compared to Bhim, he is Weak, but Skilled. Bhim is a powerhouse who mercilessly flings Jarasandh around with force, till Jarasandh is weak enough to not resist the thrashing Bhim subjects him to.
