Shloka 5
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
विजित्याल्पेन कालेन दशार्णानजयत प्रभु: । तत्र दाशार्णको राजा सुधर्मा लोमहर्षणम् । कृतवान् भीमसेनेन महद् युद्ध निरायुधम्,महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vijityālpēna kālena daśārṇān ajayat prabhuḥ |
tatra dāśārṇako rājā sudharmā lomaharṣaṇam |
kṛtavān bhīmasenena mahad yuddhaṃ nirāyudham |
mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā |
hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān |
vṛto bharataśārdūlo dviṣacchoka-vivardhanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: In kurzer Zeit unterwarf der mächtige Bhīmasena das Land Daśārṇa. Dort lieferte sich der König von Daśārṇa, Sudharmā, mit Bhīmasena eine große, schauererregende Schlacht ohne Waffen—ein reines Kräftemessen. Und Bhīma—der Tiger unter den Bhāratas, der den Kummer der Feinde mehrt—von einem großen, gut gerüsteten Heer umgeben, reich an Elefanten, Pferden und Streitwagen, zermalmte feindliche Reiche durch die Wucht seiner Macht.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior executes the sovereign’s command and confronts opposition with courage, yet the encounter also reflects a valor-code where a ruler may choose an unarmed contest of strength, emphasizing personal prowess and honor beyond reliance on weapons.
Bhīmasena rapidly conquers the Daśārṇa region. The Daśārṇa king Sudharmā then challenges him to a great unarmed battle (a wrestling-like contest), described as thrilling and hair-raising, while Bhīma is portrayed as a formidable commander backed by a large, well-equipped army.