Shloka 5
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
सरो मानसमासाद्य हाटकानभित: प्रभु: । गन्धर्वरक्षितं देशमजयत् पाण्डवस्तत:,मानसरोवरपर पहुँचकर शक्तिशाली पाण्डुकुमारने हाटकदेशके निकटवर्ती गन्धर्वोद्वारा सुरक्षित प्रदेशपर भी अधिकार प्राप्त कर लिया
saro mānasam āsādya hāṭakān abhitaḥ prabhuḥ | gandharvarakṣitaṃ deśam ajayat pāṇḍavas tataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having reached Lake Mānasarovara, the mighty Pāṇḍava then subdued and brought under his control the region near Hāṭaka, a territory guarded by the Gandharvas—showing the steady expansion of his dominion through strength and resolve.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the exercise of royal power to establish control over contested or protected regions; it frames sovereignty as something asserted through capability and resolve, while implicitly raising the ethical question of how power is used in expanding dominion.
After arriving at the sacred Lake Mānasarovara, the Pāṇḍava leader proceeds to the vicinity of Hāṭaka and conquers a territory that was under Gandharva protection, extending his campaign’s reach.