Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Saṃvāda in Indraprastha: Consolation, Legitimation, and Leave for Dvārakā (आश्वमेधिकपर्व, अध्याय १५)
भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण बोले--शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले सव्यसाची अर्जुन! धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरने तुम्हारे बाहुबलका सहारा लेकर इस समूची पृथ्वीपर विजय प्राप्त कर ली ।।
bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca—śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-dāyaka savyasācin arjuna! dharma-putro yudhiṣṭhiras tvad-bāhu-bala-śaraṇena samūcīm imāṃ pṛthivīṃ vijitya. niṣkaṇṭakāṃ mahīṃ bhuṅkte dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ, bhīmasenānubhāvena nakula-sahadevayoś ca, narottama.
Le Seigneur bienheureux Śrī Kṛṣṇa dit : « Ô Arjuna, Savyasācin, fléau des ennemis ! S’appuyant sur la force de tes bras, Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira a conquis toute cette terre. À présent, le roi Yudhiṣṭhira, ferme dans le dharma, jouit d’une souveraineté sans épines, sans trouble sur le pays—soutenue par la vaillance de Bhīmasena et aussi par la puissance de Nakula et de Sahadeva, ô meilleur des hommes. »
वायुदेव उवाच
Legitimate and stable kingship is portrayed as arising from dharma supported by collective duty: Yudhiṣṭhira’s righteous rule is enabled by the disciplined strength and cooperation of his brothers, showing that ethical governance depends on both moral legitimacy and protective capability.
Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna and credits him—along with Bhīma, Nakula, and Sahadeva—for enabling Yudhiṣṭhira’s conquest and present peaceful sovereignty, describing the kingdom as ‘thornless,’ i.e., free from hostile obstacles and internal threats.