Shloka 8
Rājasūya-sambhāra: Prosperity under Rājadharma and the Initiation of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Sacrifice
ततो मत्स्यान् महातेजा मलदांश्व महाबलान्
tato matsyān mahātejā maladāṁś ca mahābalān | tatpaścāt mahātejasvī kuntīkumaras tadā | matsyān maladān anaghābhayasaṁjñitān janapadān jitvā paśubhūmim api sarvataḥ parājitya | tataḥ pratinivṛtya mahābāhur bhīmo madadhāraparvataṁ somadheyanivāsinaś ca parājitya | tataḥ paraṁ balavān bhīma uttarābhimukhaṁ yātrāṁ kṛtvā vatsabhūmau balāt svāmitvaṁ cakāra ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian Bhīma yang perkasa lagi bercahaya menundukkan kaum Matsya dan Malada yang kuat. Sesudah itu, putera Kuntī yang termasyhur menakluki negeri-negeri bernama Anagha dan Abhaya, serta menguasai Paśubhūmi dari segala penjuru. Setelah kembali dari sana, Bhīma yang berlengan gagah menewaskan penduduk sekitar Gunung Madadhāra dan kaum Somadheya. Lalu, pahlawan Bhīma mara ke utara dan dengan kekuatan senjata menegakkan kekuasaan atas tanah Vatsa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the acquisition of sovereignty through strength during a royal campaign, while the broader epic context frames such power as legitimate only when aligned with rightful rule and restraint—conquest is a means to political order, not an end in itself.
Bhīma, as part of the Pāṇḍavas’ campaign connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s imperial project, subdues several regions—Matsya, Malada, Anagha, Abhaya, Paśubhūmi—then defeats groups near Madadhāra and Somadheya, and finally establishes control over Vatsa by marching north.