Shloka 18
जयद्रथविमोचन–पलायनवृत्तान्तः
Recovery of Draupadī and Jayadratha’s flight
वारुणीं दिशमागम्य यवनान् बर्बरांस्तथा | नृपान् पश्चिमभूमिस्थान् दापयामास वै करान्,इसके बाद पश्चिम दिशामें जाकर यवन तथा बर्बर राजाओंको, जो पश्चिम देशके ही निवासी थे, पराजित करके उनसे कर लिया
vāruṇīṃ diśam āgamya yavanān barbarāṃs tathā | nṛpān paścimabhūmisthān dāpayāmāsa vai karān |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Tras dirigirse hacia el lado de Varuṇa (el occidente), sometió a los Yavanas y a los Bárbaras, y también a los reyes que habitaban las tierras occidentales, obligándolos a pagar tributo.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects rājadharma: a ruler is expected to establish authority, secure the realm, and collect lawful revenue (kara). At the same time, it invites ethical reflection on the means—conquest and compulsion—used to create political order.
The narrator states that the protagonist moved westward, defeated western peoples such as the Yavanas and Barbaras along with other western kings, and compelled them to pay tribute.