Jayatsena

Jayatsena is a character in the ancient Hindu epic the Mahabharata, mentioned as a king of Magadha. He is the brother of King Sahadeva, the son of Jarasandha who was installed on the throne of Magadha by the Pandavas following the death of their father. Jayatsena is famous for bringing an akshauhini to support the Pandavas before the Kurukshetra War, although there is ambiguity regarding his actual alliance during the war itself.

While some verses suggest that he supported the Pandavas, the Mahabharata also describes that Jayatsena—'the king of Magadha' and 'son of Jarasandha'—fought on the side of the Kauravas and was slain by the Pandava warrior Abhimanyu. Due to this inconsistency, scholars have proposed two interpretations: either there were two Magadhan princes named Jayatsena aligned with opposing sides, or the text contains a transmission or attribution error.