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 |
Waiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian Bhīmasena, yang terbaik di antara Bharata, maju dan dengan cepat menaklukkan wilayah Gaṇḍaka serta negeri Videha. Ia dikelilingi roda besar pasukan yang melumat kerajaan-kerajaan musuh—penuh gajah, kuda, dan kereta perang, lengkap dengan zirah dan senjata—seraya menambah duka para lawannya.
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.