Shloka 4
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
ततः स गण्डकाउछूरो विदेहान् भरतर्षभ:,महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।।
tataḥ sa gaṇḍakaucchūro videhān bharatarṣabhaḥ, mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || vṛto bharataśārṭūlo dviṣacchoka-vivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Darauf rückte jener mächtige Stier unter den Bhāratas gegen das Gebiet von Gaṇḍaka und gegen die Videhas vor. Umgeben von einem gewaltigen Heer, einem Kriegsrad gleich, das feindliche Reiche zermalmte, reich an Elefanten, Pferden und Streitwagen, und mit Waffen und Rüstungen versehen, zog er weiter und mehrte den Schmerz seiner Feinde.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames military expansion as an extension of royal duty (rājadharma): force is organized, disciplined, and directed toward political objectives—subduing hostile realms—rather than portrayed as personal violence. It highlights the ethical ideal that a kṣatriya’s power should operate under command and for the stability of the kingdom.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a leading Bharata warrior marching with a large, fully equipped army—elephants, horses, and chariots—to subdue the Gaṇḍaka region and the Videhas, thereby causing fear and grief among enemies as part of a broader campaign of conquest.