Shloka 5
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
निषादभूमिं गोशूडूं पर्वतप्रवरं तथा । तरसैवाजयद्ू धीमान् श्रेणिमन्तं च पार्थिवम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
niṣādabhūmiṁ gośūḍūṁ parvatapravaraṁ tathā |
tarasāivājayad dhīmān śreṇimantaṁ ca pārthivam |
तदनन्तर बुद्धिमान सहदेव ने निषादभूमि, गोशूडू नामक प्रदेश तथा श्रेष्ठ पर्वत-प्रदेश को भी शीघ्र ही जीत लिया; और वेगपूर्वक राजा श्रेणिमान को भी परास्त कर दिया।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse supports the rājasūya framework: a king’s political dharma includes establishing a unified order by compelling submission of neighboring rulers and frontier regions; the emphasis on 'tarasā' (swift force) highlights decisive action as a tool of statecraft, though the broader narrative expects such conquest to culminate in acknowledged sovereignty and tribute rather than mere destruction.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ rājasūya preparations, Sahadeva is on a conquest circuit. Here he rapidly subdues the Niṣāda territory and associated regions (including Gośūḍū and a prominent mountain tract) and then defeats King Śreṇimān.