Shloka 23
Sabhā-praveśa, Dāna, and the Courtly Convergence (सभा-प्रवेशः दानं च)
सततं कम्पयामास यवनानेक एव यः । बलपौरुषसम्पन्नान् कृतास्त्राममितौजस: । यथासुरान् कालकेयान् देवो वज्रधरस्तथा,श्रीमान् महामना धर्मात्मा मुंजकेतु, विवर्धन, संग्रामजित, दुर्मुख, पराक्रमी उग्रसेन, राजा कक्षसेन, अपराजित क्षेमक, कम्बोजराज कमठ और महाबली कम्पन, जो अकेले ही बल-पौरुषसम्पन्न, अस्त्रविद्याके ज्ञाता तथा अमिततेजस्वी यवनोंको सदा उसी प्रकार कँपाते रहते थे, जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्रने कालकेय नामक असुरोंको कम्पित किया था। (ये सभी नरेश धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरकी उपासना करते रहते थे)
satatam kampayāmāsa yavanāneka eva yaḥ | balapauruṣasampannān kṛtāstrām amitaujasaḥ | yathāsurān kālakeyān devo vajradharas tathā | śrīmān mahāmanā dharmātmā muñjaketuḥ vivardhanaḥ saṅgrāmajit durmukhaḥ parākramī ugrasenā rājā kakṣasenā aparājitaḥ kṣemakaḥ kambojarājaḥ kamaṭhaḥ mahābalī kampanaś ca |
Vaiśampāyana said: He alone continually struck fear into many Yavana warriors—men endowed with strength and manly prowess, trained in the use of weapons, and of immeasurable energy—just as the thunderbolt-bearing Indra once made the Kālakeya asuras tremble. Among those who attended upon Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira were the illustrious, high-minded, righteous kings: Muñjaketu, Vivardhana, Saṅgrāmajit, Durmukha, the valiant Ugrasena, King Kakṣasena, the unconquered Kṣemaka, the Kamboja king Kamaṭha, and the mighty Kampana.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical ideal of righteous sovereignty: formidable martial power is portrayed as compatible with dharma when it is aligned with lawful kingship and expressed through loyal service to a dharmic ruler (Yudhiṣṭhira).
Vaiśampāyana describes a warrior who single-handedly intimidates many Yavana fighters, likening him to Indra terrifying the Kālakeya asuras, and then lists notable kings—described as righteous and illustrious—who are present in attendance upon Yudhiṣṭhira.