Shloka 25
Bhīmasena’s Digvijaya and Tribute Return (भीमस्य दिग्विजयः धननिवेदनं च)
लोहान् परमकाम्बोजानृषिकानुनत्तरानपि । सहितांस््तान् महाराज व्यजयत् पाकशासनि:,महाराज! लोह, परमकाम्बोज, ऋषिक तथा उत्तर देशोंको भी अर्जुनने एक साथ जीत लिया
lohān paramakāmbojān ṛṣikān uttarān api | sahitāṁs tān mahārāja vyajayat pākaśāsaniḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, Pākaśāsani (Arjuna) also subdued the Lohas, the Paramakāmbojas, the Ṛṣikas, and the northern peoples—all together.” The verse marks the widening reach of the Pāṇḍavas’ campaign, presenting conquest as the establishment of imperial order for the Rājasūya, not as mere personal gain.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames conquest as an instrument of establishing political order in service of a larger dharmic royal project (the Pāṇḍavas’ Rājasūya), emphasizing coordinated subjugation of multiple regions rather than isolated raids for personal glory.
During the digvijaya (campaign of conquest) connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s imperial rite, Arjuna is described as defeating several northern peoples—Lohas, Paramakāmbojas, Ṛṣikas, and other northerners—bringing them under the Pāṇḍavas’ authority.