Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.71.44-45
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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khāṇḍavena
—
with the Khāṇḍava forest
Khāṇḍava-vana — the great forest near Indraprastha. Its burning gives Arjuna his weapons and Maya his life; the episode is recorded in Mahābhārata Ādi-parva. The Bhāgavata refers to it in shorthand, trusting the reader's recall.
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mocayitvā
—
having saved
From muc — to release. Kṛṣṇa is the great releaser; here even an asura, Maya, is mocaya. Gauḍīyas note the breadth of His grace: not only devotees but even asuras (Bali, Maya, Vṛtra) come under His mocaka-hand when context calls.
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divyā sabhā
—
celestial assembly hall
The Mayasabhā — built of jewels and illusions, where rivers seemed solid and floors seemed water. The verse marks its creation; Mahābhārata records its consequences (Duryodhana's mockery, the dice game).
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priya - cikīrṣayā
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with desire to give pleasure
Cikīrṣā — desiderative form of kṛ. Kṛṣṇa's months at Indraprastha are explained by one phrase: He wants to please Yudhiṣṭhira. Gauḍīyas read this as the inversion of mundane sovereignty — the Lord arranges His schedule around the devotee's joy.
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phālgunena
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with Arjuna
Phālguna — Arjuna's name from his birth in the Phālguna nakṣatra. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna together — the sakhya-pair foreshadowing Kurukṣetra.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa: “It was during this time that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with the help of Arjuna, for the satisfaction of the fire-god, Agni, allowed Agni to devour the Khāṇḍava forest. During the forest fire, Kṛṣṇa saved the demon Mayāsura, who was hiding in the forest. Upon being saved, Mayāsura felt obliged to the Pāṇḍavas and Lord Kṛṣṇa, and he constructed a wonderful assembly house within the city of Hastināpura. In this way, Lord Kṛṣṇa, in order to please King Yudhiṣṭhira, remained in the city of Hastināpura for several months. During His stay, He enjoyed strolling here and there. He used to drive on chariots along with Arjuna, and many warriors and soldiers used to follow them.” Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Lord Travels to Indraprastha.”
Krsna resided there, and liberated Maya danava from the fire so that he could build the assembly hall. Those previous events related in the fifty eighth chapter, rescuing maya and his building the assembly hall, are here repeated because of absorption in the topic. The order is as follows: he burned the Khanda forest, got Arjuna the Gandiva bow, obtained Kalini while hunting, while staying at Indraprastha for four months of the monsoon. Then Krsna returned to Dvaraka, married Kalini, Bhadra and other queens, killed Naraka and other performed other deeds. Then he was invited to the rajasuya sacrifice.
Yudhiṣṭhira did not expect any payment for this. Instead of kṛtā sometimes hṛtā (offered) is seen. Desiring to do other pleasing actions (priya-cikīrṣayā) for the king Kṛṣṇa stayed several months. With Arjuna and troops including Sātyaki, he went riding on his chariot.
Kṛṣṇa stayed a long time, to assist more than he had done previously. His assistance is described first. He had the assemble house built. He stayed to do other pleasing works. Desiring to do other pleasing actions (priya-cikīrṣayā) for the king, Kṛṣṇa stayed several months. With Arjuna and troops including Sātyaki, he went riding on his chariot. In this way he pleased the king. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-first Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Lord Travels to Indraprastha." 10.72: The Slaying of the Demon Jarāsandha verses: Summary, 1-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24-25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 Chapter Summary This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa heard King Yudhiṣṭhira's request and then arranged for Bhīmasena to defeat Jarāsandha. One day King Yudhiṣṭhira addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as He sat in the royal assembly: "My Lord, I wish to perform the Rājasūya sacrifice. In this sacrifice people uninterested in Your devotional service will be able to see firsthand the superiority of Your devotees and the inferiority of nondevotees. They will also be able to see Your lotus feet." Lord Kṛṣṇa extolled Yudhiṣṭhira's proposition: "Your scheme is so excellent that it will spread your fame throughout the universe. Indeed, all living beings should desire that this sacrifice be performed. To make this sacrifice possible, however, you must first defeat all the kings of the earth and collect all the necessary paraphernalia." Satisfied with Lord Kṛṣṇa's words, King Yudhiṣṭhira sent his brothers to conquer the various directions. After they had conquered-or won the fealty of-the kings in their assigned directions, they brought back abundant wealth to Yudhiṣṭhira. They informed him, however, that Jarāsandha could not be defeated. As King Yudhiṣṭhira pondered how he could subdue Jarāsandha, Śrī Kṛṣṇa revealed to him the means for doing so, following the previous advice of Uddhava. Bhīma, Arjuna and Śrī Kṛṣṇa then disguised themselves as brāhmaṇas and went to the palace of Jarāsandha, who was very devoted to the brahminical class. They introduced themselves as brāhmaṇas to King Jarāsandha, flattering him by praising his reputation for hospitality, and requested him to grant their desire. Seeing the marks of bowstrings on their limbs, Jarāsandha concluded that they were warriors and not brāhmaṇas, but still, even though fearful, he promised to fulfill whatever desire they might have. At that point Lord Kṛṣṇa discarded His disguise and asked Jarāsandha to fight Him in one-to-one combat. But Jarāsandha refused, claiming that Kṛṣṇa was a coward because He had once fled the battlefield. Jarāsandha also declined to fight Arjuna on the plea that he was inferior in age and size. But Bhīma he considered a worthy opponent. Thus Jarāsandha handed Bhīma a club and took up another himself, and they all went outside the city to begin the fight. After the fight had gone on for some time, it became clear that the two opponents were too equally matched for either to gain victory. Lord Kṛṣṇa then split a small tree branch in half, thus showing Bhīma how to kill Jarāsandha. Bhīma threw Jarāsandha to the ground, stepped on one of his legs, seized the other with his arms and proceeded to tear him apart from his genitals to his head. Seeing Jarāsandha dead, his relatives and subjects cried out in lamentation. Lord Kṛṣṇa then appointed Jarāsandha's son ruler of Magadha and released the kings Jarāsandha had imprisoned.
Kṛṣṇa residing several months at Indraprastha, feeding the fire-god with the Khāṇḍava forest, saving Maya Dānava, and roaming on chariot with Arjuna, is like a great river that pauses to widen a lake — for a season everything around the water deepens, and even the demons in its banks are reshaped into builders.
In the Mahābhārata's Ādi-parva (Khāṇḍava-dahana-parva), Agni — afflicted by indigestion from too many ghee-offerings of King Śvetaki — seeks to consume the Khāṇḍava forest. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna assist him: Arjuna receives the Gāṇḍīva bow, the Akṣaya quivers and the white-horsed chariot from this episode; Kṛṣṇa receives the Sudarśana cakra and the Kaumodakī mace.
From the burning forest they save Maya Dānava — the cosmic architect — who out of gratitude builds the Mayasabhā for Yudhiṣṭhira (Sabhā-parva, ch. 1–3). That hall, with its illusory floors that later humiliate Duryodhana, becomes the setting for the entire Rājasūya. This verse is the seed of all of it.
Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna riding together on chariot for months at a time is the foundation of their sakhya-rasa. The Bhagavad-gītā is delivered between two friends who have shared this kind of seasonal closeness; Bg 4.3 — bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti — recalls precisely the kind of intimacy this verse describes.
Gauḍīya ācāryas teach that Arjuna is one of the great sakhya-bhaktas; his receptivity at Kurukṣetra is built across years of chariot-rides like these.
My note
Source: vedabase.io