Shloka 4
नकुलस्य प्रतीची-दिग्विजयः
Nakula’s Conquest of the Western Quarter
ततः स गण्डकाउछूरो विदेहान् भरतर्षभ:,महता बलचक्रेण परराष्ट्रावमर्दिना । हस्त्यश्वरथपूर्णेन दंशितेन प्रतापवान् २ ।।
tataḥ sa gaṇḍakaucchūro videhān bharatarṣabhaḥ, mahatā balacakreṇa pararāṣṭrāvamardinā | hasty-aśva-ratha-pūrṇena daṃśitena pratāpavān || vṛto bharataśārṭūlo dviṣacchoka-vivardhanaḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Ensuite, ce puissant taureau parmi les Bhārata s’avança contre la région de Gaṇḍaka et les Videha. Entouré d’une vaste armée, telle une roue de guerre broyant les royaumes adverses, riche d’éléphants, de chevaux et de chars, et pourvue d’armes et de cuirasses, il poursuivit sa marche, augmentant la peine de ses ennemis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames military expansion as an extension of royal duty (rājadharma): force is organized, disciplined, and directed toward political objectives—subduing hostile realms—rather than portrayed as personal violence. It highlights the ethical ideal that a kṣatriya’s power should operate under command and for the stability of the kingdom.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a leading Bharata warrior marching with a large, fully equipped army—elephants, horses, and chariots—to subdue the Gaṇḍaka region and the Videhas, thereby causing fear and grief among enemies as part of a broader campaign of conquest.