बहूनि किल युद्धानि विजयस्य नराधिपै: । पुनरासन् हषीकेश तत्र तत्र च मे श्रुतम्,हृषीकेश! मेरे सुननेमें आया है कि भिन्न-भिन्न देशोंमें वहाँके राजाओंके साथ अर्जुनको कई बार युद्ध करने पड़े हैं
bahūni kila yuddhāni vijayasya narādhipaiḥ | punarāsan hṛṣīkeśa tatra tatra ca me śrutam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Hṛṣīkeśa, I have heard that, in the course of securing victory, Arjuna had to fight many battles again and again with kings in various regions.”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
The verse frames victory as something that often entails repeated conflict across regions, prompting ethical reflection on kingship: even a righteous aim can generate continuing violence, and a dharmic ruler must inquire into causes, limits, and consequences rather than glorify conquest.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa) and reports what he has heard: during the wider campaign connected with establishing victory, battles occurred repeatedly in different places with local kings—setting up a request for clarification about those events.