Shloka 14
Adhyāya 32: Rājasūya-Dīkṣā and Appointment of Court Offices (राजसूयदीक्षा तथा अधिकारविनियोगः)
स चास्य गतभी राजन् प्रतिजग्राह शासनम् | तत: शाकलमभ्येत्य मद्राणां पुटभेदनम्
sa cāsya gatabhī rājan pratijagrāha śāsanam | tataḥ śākalam abhyetya madrāṇāṃ puṭabhedanam mātulaṃ prītipūrveṇa śalyaṃ cakre vaśe balī |
Vaiśampāyana said: “And he, now free from fear, O king, accepted his command. Then, having marched against Śākala, the strong one entered Puṭabhedana, the capital of the Madras, and—moved only by affection—brought his maternal uncle Śalya under his influence.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority can be established not only through coercion but also through fearlessness, goodwill, and respectful kinship ties; voluntary acceptance and affectionate diplomacy are presented as ethically preferable means of securing political order.
Nakula accepts the given command, advances to Śākala, then enters Puṭabhedana (the Madra capital) and brings Śalya—his maternal uncle—into subordination through affection, indicating a blend of conquest and conciliatory alliance.