Shloka 2
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || 2 || vṛto bharataśārṭūlo dviṣac-choka-vivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O König Janamejaya! Da brach Bhīmasena auf—der machtvolle Held, der Tiger unter den Bhāratas, der den Kummer seiner Feinde mehrt—nachdem er den Befehl des Dharmarāja empfangen hatte, um den Osten zu unterwerfen. Ihn umgab ein gewaltiges, radgleiches Heer, das feindliche Reiche zermalmte, erfüllt von Elefanten, Pferden und Streitwagen, vollständig gerüstet und bewaffnet.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames military might within the ethic of sanctioned rule: a hero’s force is portrayed as disciplined, fully equipped, and directed toward the political task of subduing hostile realms—suggesting that power, in the epic’s ideal, operates under royal command and public purpose rather than personal impulse.
Vaiśampāyana describes a leading Bharata hero setting out accompanied by a massive, well-armed army—packed with elephants, horses, and chariots—capable of crushing enemy kingdoms, thereby intensifying the sorrow of opponents as the campaign begins.