Shloka 2
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || 2 || vṛto bharataśārṭūlo dviṣac-choka-vivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô roi Janamejaya ! En ce temps-là, Bhīmasena, héros d’une grande vaillance—tigre parmi les Bhārata, accroissant le deuil de ses ennemis—ayant reçu l’ordre du Dharmarāja, se mit en route pour soumettre l’Orient. Autour de lui tournait une vaste roue de troupes, broyant les royaumes adverses, pleine d’éléphants, de chevaux et de chars, et parfaitement équipée d’armes et de cuirasses.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames military might within the ethic of sanctioned rule: a hero’s force is portrayed as disciplined, fully equipped, and directed toward the political task of subduing hostile realms—suggesting that power, in the epic’s ideal, operates under royal command and public purpose rather than personal impulse.
Vaiśampāyana describes a leading Bharata hero setting out accompanied by a massive, well-armed army—packed with elephants, horses, and chariots—capable of crushing enemy kingdoms, thereby intensifying the sorrow of opponents as the campaign begins.