Shloka 20
Adhyāya 32: Rājasūya-Dīkṣā and Appointment of Court Offices (राजसूयदीक्षा तथा अधिकारविनियोगः)
एवं विजित्य नकुलो दिशं वरुणपालिताम् | प्रतीचीं वासुदेवेन निर्जितां भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! इस प्रकार भगवान् वासुदेवके द्वारा अपने अधिकारमें की हुई, वरुणपालित पश्चिम दिशापर विजय पाकर नकुल इन्द्रप्रस्थ लौट आये
evaṁ vijitya nakulo diśaṁ varuṇapālitām | pratīcīṁ vāsudevena nirjitāṁ bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: So kehrte Nakula, nachdem er den von Varuṇa behüteten Westen erobert hatte – ein Landstrich, der bereits von Vāsudeva unterworfen worden war, o Stier unter den Bhāratas –, nach Indraprastha zurück.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory is presented as part of righteous kingship: expansion and consolidation should align with legitimate authority and established order (here, a region already subdued under Vāsudeva’s overarching power), emphasizing governance over mere aggression.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ campaigns connected with imperial consolidation, Nakula conquers the western quarter associated with Varuṇa and then returns to Indraprastha; the verse notes that this western region had already been brought under control by Vāsudeva.