Shloka 2
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
महता संनिपातेन क्षत्रियान्तकरेण ह । अजयत् पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ: करे चैनं न्नयवेशयत्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर पराक्रमी वीर पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ अर्जुन धवलगिरिको लाँघकर द्रुमपुत्रके द्वारा सुरक्षित किम्पुरुषदेशमें गये, जहाँ किन्नरोंका निवास था। वहाँ क्षत्रियोंका विनाश करनेवाले भारी संग्रामके द्वारा उन्होंने उस देशको जीत लिया और कर देते रहनेकी शर्तपर उस राजाको पुनः उसी राज्यपर प्रतिष्ठित कर दिया
mahātā saṁnipātena kṣatriyāntakareṇa ha | ajayat pāṇḍavaśreṣṭhaḥ kare cainaṁ nyaveśayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Then, by a great mustering of forces and a battle that proved deadly to kṣatriya warriors, the foremost of the Pāṇḍavas won victory; and having subdued that ruler, he reinstated him on the condition that he would continue to pay tribute.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a model of rājadharma in conquest: victory is not merely annihilation but the establishment of political order—subduing a ruler and then reinstalling him under the obligation of tribute, thereby converting violence into a stable, governed relationship.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the foremost Pāṇḍava wins a major battle, conquers the region/ruler, and then reinstates the defeated king on his throne with the condition that he will pay regular tribute (kara).