Shloka 9
Adhyāya 32: Rājasūya-Dīkṣā and Appointment of Court Offices (राजसूयदीक्षा तथा अधिकारविनियोगः)
सिन्धुकूलश्रिता ये च ग्रामणीया महाबला:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sindhukūlāśritā ye ca grāmaṇīyā mahābalāḥ | sarasvatītīranilayāḥ śūdrā ābhīragaṇāś ca ye | matsyājīvikā dhīvarāś ca parvatāśrayiṇo 'pare janāḥ | tān sarvān nakulo jitvā vaśam ānayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Nakula subdued and brought under his control the mighty Kṣatriya chiefs descended from village-governors who dwelt along the banks of the Sindhu; the Ābhīra groups of Śūdras living on the banks of the Sarasvatī; the Dhīvara folk who lived by fishing; and other communities of men who inhabited the mountains.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the expansion of royal order through conquest: diverse communities across rivers and mountains are brought under a single political authority. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s political realism—kingship is maintained by establishing control over frontier regions and integrating varied peoples into a realm (often through submission and tribute), raising questions about power, legitimacy, and the costs of empire.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ campaign associated with establishing sovereignty (digvijaya), Nakula advances through regions near the Sindhu and Sarasvatī and into mountainous areas, defeating local chiefs and communities—Kṣatriya leaders, Ābhīras, fisherfolk (Dhīvaras), and others—and makes them subject to the Pāṇḍavas’ rule.