Shloka 15
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
न प्रवेक्ष्यामि वो देशं विरुद्ध यदि मानुषै: । युधिष्ठिराय यत् किंचित् करपण्यं प्रदीयताम्,“आपलोगोंका देश यदि मनुष्योंके विपरीत पड़ता है तो मैं इसमें प्रवेश नहीं करूँगा। महाराज युधिष्ठिरके लिये करके रूपमें कुछ धन दीजिये”
na pravekṣyāmi vo deśaṃ viruddha yadi mānuṣaiḥ | yudhiṣṭhirāya yat kiñcit karapaṇyaṃ pradīyatām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “If your land stands opposed to men—hostile and unsafe for human passage—then I shall not enter it. Whatever tribute is due, though it be small, let it be given for King Yudhiṣṭhira.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores restraint and lawful order: one should not force entry into a land that is hostile or contrary to human norms, and instead uphold legitimate political obligations by rendering the due tribute to the rightful sovereign (Yudhiṣṭhira).
In the context of Yudhiṣṭhira’s expanding imperial authority and the collection of tribute, the speaker conveys a stance of non-coercion—declining to enter a region if it is dangerous or opposed—while still directing that whatever tribute is owed should be delivered to Yudhiṣṭhira.