Shloka 9

जयद्रथविमोचन–पलायनवृत्तान्तः

Recovery of Draupadī and Jayadratha’s flight

Devanagari script

आवशीरांश्व योध्यांश्व अहिक्षत्रं च निर्जयत्‌ । पूर्वा दिशं विनिर्जित्य वत्सभूमिं तथागमत्‌,अंग, वंग, कलिंग, शुण्डिक, मिथिला, मगध और कर्कखण्ड--इन सब देशोंको अपने राज्यमें मिलाकर कर्णने आवशीर, योध्य और अहिक्षत्र देशको भी जीत लिया। इस प्रकार पूर्व दिशापर विजय प्राप्त करके उसने वत्सभूमिमें पदार्पण किया

Transliteration

āvaśīrāṁś ca yodhyāṁś ca ahikṣatraṁ ca nirjayat | pūrvāṁ diśaṁ vinirjitya vatsabhūmiṁ tathāgamat ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Having subdued the lands of Āvaśīra, Yodhyā, and Ahikṣatra, Karṇa completed his conquest of the eastern quarter and then advanced into the country of Vatsa. The passage underscores the outward success of imperial expansion—victory and annexation—while implicitly pointing to the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: political might and territorial gain do not by themselves establish righteousness (dharma), and conquest often foreshadows the larger moral and human costs that culminate in war.

Word by Word

• {'āvaśīrān': 'the people/land of Āvaśīra (a regional name

• eastern country)', 'yodhyān': 'the people/land of Yodhyā (regional name

• often associated with Ayodhyā traditions, here a conquered territory)', 'ahikṣatram': 'Ahikṣatra (ancient city/kingdom, traditionally in northern Pañcāla region)', 'nirjayat': 'he conquered

• he completely subdued', 'pūrvām diśam': 'the eastern direction/quarter', 'vinirjitya': 'having fully conquered

• after subduing', 'vatsabhūmim': 'the land of Vatsa (region/kingdom, associated with Kauśāmbī)', 'tathāgamat': 'then he went

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Karṇa
• Āvaśīra
• Yodhyā
• Ahikṣatra
• Pūrvā diś (the eastern quarter)
• Vatsabhūmi (Vatsa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring contrast between power and dharma: military success and annexation can be impressive, yet they are ethically ambiguous and do not automatically confer righteousness; they often serve as narrative groundwork for later conflict and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Karṇa has conquered Āvaśīra, Yodhyā, and Ahikṣatra, thereby securing victories in the eastern quarter, and then proceeds onward into the land of Vatsa.