Shloka 17
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
तं जित्वा स महाबाहु: प्रययौ दक्षिणापथम् | गुहामासादयामास किष्किन्धां लोकविश्रुताम्,उन्हें जीतकर महाबाहु सहदेव दक्षिणापथकी ओर गये और लोकविख्यात किष्किन्धा नामक गुफामें जा पहुँचे
taṁ jitvā sa mahābāhuḥ prayayau dakṣiṇāpatham | guhām āsādayāmāsa kiṣkindhāṁ lokaviśrutām ||
Nachdem er sie unterworfen hatte, zog Sahadeva, der Mächtigarme, den südlichen Weg weiter. Dann erreichte er die in aller Welt berühmte Höhle namens Kiṣkindhā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse supports the ethical-political idea that sovereignty for a major royal rite is established through orderly subjugation and recognition of authority; power is portrayed as legitimate when exercised in service of a dharmic royal purpose rather than mere aggression.
Sahadeva, after defeating a prior opponent, continues the southern campaign and arrives at the celebrated cave-region called Kiṣkindhā, advancing the Pandavas’ wider digvijaya connected with preparations for the Rājasūya.