Shloka 3
स गत्वा नरशार्दूल: पज्चालानां पुरं महत्,महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।। वृतो भरतशार्टूलो द्विषच्छोकविवर्द्धन: । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! इसी समय शत्रुओंका शोक बढ़ानेवाले भरतवंशशिरोमणि महाप्रतापी एवं पराक्रमी भीमसेन भी धर्मराजकी आज्ञा ले, शत्रुके राज्यको कुचल देनेवाली और हाथी, घोड़े एवं रथसे भरी हुई, कवच आदिसे सुसज्जित विशाल सेनाके साथ पूर्व दिशाको जीतनेके लिये चले
sa gatvā naraśārdūlaḥ pāñcālānāṃ puraṃ mahat, mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || vṛto bharataśārdūlo dviṣac-choka-vivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: That tiger among men set out and reached the great city of the Pāñcālas, attended by a vast, wheel-like host that crushed hostile kingdoms. That mighty warrior—his forces filled with elephants, horses, and chariots, and equipped with armor—advanced as a foremost scion of the Bharatas, increasing the sorrow of his foes.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial strength as ethically situated within kṣatriya-dharma: force is portrayed as rightful when organized, disciplined, and exercised under legitimate royal direction to establish or protect political order.
Vaiśampāyana describes a heroic leader advancing to the great city of the Pāñcālas with a massive, well-equipped army—elephants, horses, and chariots—capable of subduing enemy realms and causing grief to opponents.