Bhima, one of the Pandavas, killed Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, as part of a strategy to defeat the Kuru dynasty’s arch-rival, the Magadha kingdom.
Jarasandha was a powerful king who had a boon that he could only be defeated by someone who was born of two mothers, with the same father. Bhima, who was the son of Kunti and the god Vayu, met this criterion and was thus the only one capable of killing Jarasandha.
The Pandavas, led by their eldest brother Yudhishthira, wanted to establish their kingdom and defeat their enemies. They knew that Jarasandha’s alliance with other kings would make it challenging to defeat him in a direct confrontation. Hence, Krishna suggested a strategy to eliminate Jarasandha.
Krishna suggested that Bhima should challenge Jarasandha to a one-on-one duel, which Bhima accepted. Bhima used his immense strength to wrestle with Jarasandha for days, but they were evenly matched. Finally, on the eighteenth day, Bhima broke Jarasandha’s body in two parts, fulfilling the condition of being born of two mothers.
Thus, Bhima’s victory over Jarasandha was a crucial moment in the Pandavas’ path to victory, as it weakened the Kuru dynasty’s rival, the Magadha kingdom, and paved the way for the Pandavas to establish their rule in the region.