Shloka 7
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
ततः प्राचीं दिशं भीमो ययौ भीमपराक्रम: । सैन्येन महता राजन् कम्पयन्निव मेदिनीम्,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 राजन्! इसके बाद भयानक पराक्रमी भीमसेन पुनः विशाल सेनाके साथ पृथ्वीको कँपाते हुए पूर्व दिशाकी ओर बढ़े
tataḥ prācīṃ diśaṃ bhīmo yayau bhīmaparākramaḥ | sainyena mahatā rājan kampayann iva medinīm, mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hastyaśvarathapūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || vṛto bharataśārdūlo dviṣacchokavivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Bhīma, of dreadful prowess, set out toward the eastern quarter, O King, with a vast army—so great that it seemed to make the earth tremble. Surrounded by a mighty wheel of force that crushed hostile realms, his host was filled with elephants, horses, and chariots, and was fully armed and armored. That tiger among the Bhāratas, increasing the sorrow of his enemies, advanced to win the East in obedience to Dharmarāja’s command—an assertion of royal duty through disciplined, organized power rather than private violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames conquest as an act of rajadharma carried out under lawful command: Bhīma’s power is not portrayed as personal aggression but as disciplined force deployed for the king’s sanctioned objective, emphasizing legitimacy, order, and responsibility in the use of strength.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Bhīma, accompanied by a massive, well-equipped army of elephants, horses, and chariots, marches toward the eastern quarter to subdue rival kingdoms, making the earth seem to tremble and causing fear and grief among enemies.