Shloka 10
Adhyāya 32: Rājasūya-Dīkṣā and Appointment of Court Offices (राजसूयदीक्षा तथा अधिकारविनियोगः)
शूद्राभीरगणाश्रैव ये चाश्रित्य सरस्वतीम् । वर्तयन्ति च ये मत्स्यैयें च पर्वतवासिन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
śūdrābhīragaṇāś caiva ye cāśritya sarasvatīm |
vartayanti ca ye matsyaiḥ ye ca parvatavāsinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Those Śūdras and the bands of Ābhīras who had taken refuge along the Sarasvatī, those who sustained themselves by fishing, and those other people who dwelt in the mountains—Nakula subdued them all and brought them under his control.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal authority in the epic is established by bringing varied communities—riverine, pastoral, occupational, and mountainous—into a single political order; it reflects the Mahābhārata’s concern with governance and the consolidation of power as a prerequisite for larger state aims.
During the Pandavas’ campaign of subjugation associated with the Rājasūya preparations, Nakula defeats and brings under control groups living along the Sarasvatī, those living by fishing, and mountain-dwelling peoples, as reported by Vaiśampāyana.