Shloka 14
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
ततस्तानब्रवीद् राजन्नर्जुन: प्रहसन्निव । पार्थिवत्वं चिकीर्षामि धर्मराजस्य धीमत:,राजन! तब अर्जुनने उनसे हँसते हुए कहा--'मैं अपने भाई बुद्धिमान् धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको समस्त भूमण्डलका एकमात्र चक्रवर्ती सम्राट् बनाना चाहता हूँ
tatastān abravīd rājann arjunaḥ prahasann iva | pārthivatvaṃ cikīrṣāmi dharmarājasya dhīmataḥ ||
Then Arjuna, as if smiling, addressed them: “O King, I wish to establish my wise brother Dharmarāja as the sole sovereign ruler over the entire circle of the earth.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic political intent: Arjuna’s aim is not personal power but the establishment of righteous sovereignty under Dharmarāja, implying that legitimate rule should be grounded in wisdom and dharma rather than mere conquest.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna speaks to the assembled persons (contextually, those involved in planning/consultation) and declares his intention to secure universal kingship for Yudhiṣṭhira, signaling the move toward imperial consolidation (later expressed through rites like the rājasūya).