Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.72.46
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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sahadevam
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Sahadeva (Jarāsandha's son)
Accusative. Distinct from Pāṇḍava Sahadeva; this is the Magadha prince. Kṛṣṇa's restraint in installing him preserves the lineage and Magadha's continuity.
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bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
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the sustainer of all living beings
Compound nominative. The Lord's title placed deliberately at the moment of dynastic preservation and prisoner liberation. Even the slain king's son is bhūta — and Kṛṣṇa is his sustainer.
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ameya-ātmā
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the immeasurable one
Compound nominative. Ameya — without measure. The Lord whose strategy joins death, coronation and mass release in a single act exceeds all measure. Gauḍīyas: the līlā is irreducible to any single category.
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mocayām-āsa
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He released
Periphrastic perfect from muc. The verb of liberation. The same root underlying mokṣa here releases captive kings — Kṛṣṇa's mokṣa-dāna in literal political form, prefiguring the spiritual liberation He gives surrendered souls.
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saṁruddhāḥ
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imprisoned
Nominative plural past participle. From sam-rudh — fully obstructed. The 20,800 kings were not merely captured; they were sealed in. The Lord's mocayām-āsa is the inverse of saṁruddhāḥ — a single verb against a single verb.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Although Jarāsandha was killed, neither Kṛṣṇa nor the two Pāṇḍava brothers made a claim to the throne. Their purpose in killing Jarāsandha was to stop him from creating a disturbance to the proper discharge of world peace. A demon always creates disturbances, whereas a demigod always tries to keep peace in the world. The mission of Lord Kṛṣṇa is to give protection to the righteous persons and to kill the demons who disturb a peaceful situation. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa immediately called for the son of Jarāsandha, whose name was Sahadeva, and with due ritualistic ceremonies the Lord asked him to occupy the seat of his father and reign over the kingdom peacefully. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of the whole cosmic creation, and He wants everyone to live peacefully and execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. After installing Sahadeva on the throne, He released all the kings and princes who had been imprisoned unnecessarily by Jarāsandha.” Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Slaying of the Demon Jarāsandha.”
Kṛṣṇa enthroned Jarāsandha’s son because Kṛṣṇa was full of all powers (bhagavān), was the creator of the universe (bhūta-bhāvanaḥ), was spread everywhere (ameyātmā) and was the master of everyone (prabhuḥ). Since he had all powers to create billions of such kingdoms immediately by his great energies, he had no desire for this insignificant kingdom. Or, as the Lord with all powers (bhagavān) he did not depend on this kingdom, but he was also merciful, being the protector of all beings (bhūta-bhāvanaḥ). Moreover he had unlimited intelligence (ameyātmā). By personally enthroning Sahadeva, he would assist the Pāṇḍavas in holding the rājasūya sacrifice since Sahadeva would then follow his orders with faith. Moreover he was in possession of all wealth or was Lord of the universe (prabhuḥ). Therefore enthroning Sahadeva was proper for him. The words describing the Lord are successively greater reasons for Kṛṣṇa to enthrone Sahadeva. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Slaying of the Demon Jarāsandha." 10.73: Lord Kṛṣṇa Blesses the Liberated Kings verses: Summary, 1-6, 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 Chapter Summary This chapter relates how Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, after freeing the kings imprisoned by Jarāsandha, mercifully gave them His audience and bestowed royal gifts upon them. When Lord Kṛṣṇa freed the 20,800 kings Jarāsandha had imprisoned, they immediately fell to the ground to pay Him obeisances. Then they stood with joined palms and began to pray to Him. Seeing their imprisonment as an act of mercy by the Lord to smash their false pride, the kings prayed only to be granted whatever would facilitate their perpetual remembrance of His lotus feet. The Lord assured the kings that their prayer would be fulfilled. He instructed them, "Worship Me by performing Vedic sacrifices, and protect your subjects in accordance with the principles of religion. Fixing your minds on Me, beget progeny, and remain always equipoised in happiness and distress. Thus at the end of your lives you will surely attain Me." Lord Kṛṣṇa then saw to it that the kings were properly bathed and dressed, and He had Sahadeva offer them flower garlands, sandalwood pulp, fine clothing and other things suitable for kings. After having them adorned with jewels and golden ornaments, He seated them on chariots and sent them off to their respective kingdoms. In accordance with the orders the Lord had given them, they began to carry out their various duties once again. Lord Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma and Arjuna then departed for Indraprastha, where they met with King Yudhiṣṭhira and related to him everything that had happened.
A jailer is killed; the keys turn in the cells; twenty-thousand-eight-hundred kings step into daylight. Kṛṣṇa, who began the chapter as Yudhiṣṭhira's consultant, ends it as Sahadeva's coronator and the captives' liberator. The Rājasūya is no longer a sacrifice for political ascendancy — it is the gateway to mass release.
Jarāsandha had been collecting kings in his dungeon, intending to sacrifice them to Rudra when the count reached one hundred thousand. The Mahābhārata records the count had reached 20,800. Kṛṣṇa's first act after the death is mocayām āsa — He releases them all. From that single act of liberation the next chapter opens with the freed kings' prayers, a śloka-stream of bhakti rising from people who had been days from death.
Gauḍīya reading: Bhagavān removes a tyrant primarily for the sake of the captives. The Rājasūya needs subordinate kings to attend, and Kṛṣṇa builds them by freeing the dungeon. Liberation precedes coronation.
Kṛṣṇa does not annex Magadha. He coronates Jarāsandha's own son, Sahadeva (distinct from the Pāṇḍava Sahadeva), as the new king. The verse names Him bhūta-bhāvanaḥ — sustainer of all living beings — at the precise moment He preserves a dynasty He has just decapitated.
The Lord destroys only what must be destroyed; the rest He carries forward.
My note
Source: vedabase.io