Shloka 7
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
(हेमकूटमथासाद्य न्यविशत् फाल्गुनस्तथा । त॑ हेमकूटं राजेन्द्र समतिक्रम्य पाण्डव: ।।
haimakūṭam athāsādya nyaviśat phālgunaḥ tathā | taṃ haimakūṭaṃ rājendra samatikramya pāṇḍavaḥ || harivarṣaṃ viveśātha sainyena mahatā vṛtaḥ | tatra pārtho dadarśātha bahūn iha manoramān || nagarāṃś ca vanāṃś caiva nadīś ca vimalodakāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Arjuna (Phālguna) llegó al monte Haimakūṭa y allí asentó su campamento. Luego, oh rey, el Pāṇḍava cruzó más allá de Haimakūṭa y entró en Harivarṣa, rodeado de un gran ejército. En aquella región, Pārtha contempló muchas delicias: ciudades agradables, bosques hermosos y ríos de aguas claras y puras. El pasaje presenta la digvijaya de Arjuna no como mera conquista, sino como una expedición disciplinada y orientada a un fin: reunir recursos y asegurar la sumisión para un propósito mayor, el sacrificio real.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined kingship: a ruler’s agent moves with organized force, observes the prosperity of lands, and brings them under order for a larger dharmic-political aim (the wider campaign connected with royal authority and sacrificial preparation), rather than conquest as mere plunder.
Arjuna reaches Mount Haimakūṭa and camps, then crosses it and enters Harivarṣa with a large army. There he sees charming cities, forests, and clear-watered rivers—signs of a prosperous, well-ordered region encountered during his campaign.