Text 22
śrī-śuka uvāca
svarair ākṛtibhis tāṁs tu
prakoṣṭhair jyā-hatair api
rājanya-bandhūn vijñāya
dṛṣṭa-pūrvān acintayat
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; svaraiḥ — by their voices; ākṛtibhiḥ — their bodily statures; tān — them; tu — however; prakoṣṭhaiḥ — by (seeing) their forearms; jyā — by bowstrings; hataiḥ — imprinted; api — even; rājanya — of royalty; bandhūn — as family members; vijñāya — recognizing; dṛṣṭa — seen; pūrvān — previously; acintayat — he considered.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: From the sound of their voices, their physical stature and the marks of bowstrings on their forearms, Jarāsandha could tell that his guests were of the royal order. He began to think he had seen them somewhere before.
The ācāryas point out that Jarāsandha had seen Lord Kṛṣṇa, Bhīmasena and Arjuna at Draupadī’s svayaṁvara ceremony. Since they had come begging in the guise of brāhmaṇas, Jarāsandha thought they must be low-class kṣatriyas, as indicated here by the word rājanya-bandhūn.