Shloka 9
Adhyāya 32: Rājasūya-Dīkṣā and Appointment of Court Offices (राजसूयदीक्षा तथा अधिकारविनियोगः)
सिन्धुकूलश्रिता ये च ग्रामणीया महाबला:,समुद्रके तटपर रहनेवाले जो महाबली ग्रामणीय (ग्राम शासकके वंशज) क्षत्रिय थे, सरस्वती नदीके किनारे निवास करनेवाले जो शूद्र आभीरगण थे, मछलियोंसे जीविका चलानेवाले जो धीवर जातिके लोग थे तथा जो पर्वतोंपर वास करनेवाले दूसरे-दूसरे मनुष्य थे, उन सबको नकुलने जीतकर अपने वशमें कर लिया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sindhukūlāśritā ye ca grāmaṇīyā mahābalāḥ | sarasvatītīranilayāḥ śūdrā ābhīragaṇāś ca ye | matsyājīvikā dhīvarāś ca parvatāśrayiṇo 'pare janāḥ | tān sarvān nakulo jitvā vaśam ānayat ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Nakula menundukkan dan membawa ke bawah kekuasaannya para ketua Kṣatriya yang gagah—keturunan para pemimpin kampung—yang tinggal di tebing Sindhu; kelompok Ābhīra daripada golongan Śūdra yang menetap di tebing Sarasvatī; kaum Dhīvara yang mencari nafkah dengan menangkap ikan; serta masyarakat lain yang mendiami pergunungan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the expansion of royal order through conquest: diverse communities across rivers and mountains are brought under a single political authority. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s political realism—kingship is maintained by establishing control over frontier regions and integrating varied peoples into a realm (often through submission and tribute), raising questions about power, legitimacy, and the costs of empire.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ campaign associated with establishing sovereignty (digvijaya), Nakula advances through regions near the Sindhu and Sarasvatī and into mountainous areas, defeating local chiefs and communities—Kṣatriya leaders, Ābhīras, fisherfolk (Dhīvaras), and others—and makes them subject to the Pāṇḍavas’ rule.