Shloka 65
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
ततः स रत्नान्यादाय पुन: प्रायाद् युधाम्पति: । महाराज! सुराष्ट्रमें ही ठहरकर धर्मात्मा सहदेवने भोजकटनिवासी रुक्मी तथा विशाल राज्यके अधिपति परम बुद्धिमान साक्षात् इन्द्रसखा भीष्मकके पास दूत भेजा। पुत्रसहित भीष्मकने वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णकी ओर दृष्टि रखकर प्रेमपूर्वक ही सहदेवका शासन स्वीकार कर लिया। तदनन्तर योद्धाओंके अधिपति सहदेव वहाँसे रत्नोंकी भेंट लेकर पुनः आगे बढ़ गये || ६२--६४ $ ।। ततः शूर्पारकं चैव तालाकटमथापि च,निषादान् पुरुषादांश्व कर्णप्रावरणानपि । महाबलशाली महातेजस्वी माद्रीकुमारने शूर्पारक और तालाकट नामक देशोंको जीतते हुए दण्डकारण्यको अपने अधीन कर लिया। तत्पश्चात् समुद्रके द्वीपोंमें निवास करनेवाले म्लेच्छजातीय राजाओं, निषादों तथा राक्षसों, कर्णप्रावरणोंकी- भी परास्त किया
tataḥ sa ratnāny ādāya punaḥ prāyād yudhāmpatiḥ | mahārāja surāṣṭre hi sthitvā dharmātmā sahadevo bhojakaṭanivāsiṇaṃ rukmiṇaṃ tathā viśālarājyādhipatiṃ parama-buddhimantaṃ sākṣād indrasakhaṃ bhīṣmakaṃ prati dūtaṃ preṣayām āsa | putrasahito bhīṣmako vasudevanandanaśrīkṛṣṇaṃ prati dṛṣṭiṃ kṛtvā premṇā sahadevasya śāsanaṃ pratijagrāha | tadanantaraṃ yoddhṛṇām adhipatiḥ sahadevo ratnabhāraṃ gṛhītvā punaḥ pratasthau || śūrpārakaṃ caiva tālākaṭam athāpi ca niṣādān puruṣādāṃś ca karṇaprāvaraṇān api | mahābalī mahātejā mādryāḥ kumāraḥ śūrpāraka-tālākaṭau jitvā daṇḍakāraṇyaṃ vaśam ānayat | tataḥ samudradvīpanivāsino mlecchajātiyā rājāno niṣādā rākṣasāś ca karṇaprāvaraṇāś ca parājitāḥ |
Então Sahadeva, senhor dos guerreiros, tomou as joias e partiu novamente. Ó rei, enquanto permanecia em Surāṣṭra, o virtuoso Sahadeva enviou um emissário a Bhīṣmaka —pai de Rukmī, soberano de um vasto reino, famoso por sua aguda inteligência e celebrado como amigo de Indra—. Bhīṣmaka, com seus filhos, mantendo o olhar reverente em Śrī Kṛṣṇa, filho de Vāsudeva, aceitou com afeto a ordem de Sahadeva. Depois disso, Sahadeva recebeu o tributo de gemas e avançou.
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power is portrayed as legitimate when exercised through dharma: rulers are approached via envoys, submission is formalized through acceptance of overlordship, and tribute replaces needless destruction. The text also signals that moral-political alignment with Kṛṣṇa strengthens righteous alliances.
During Sahadeva’s digvijaya for Yudhiṣṭhira’s imperial rite, he receives jewel-tribute, sends a messenger to Bhīṣmaka (connected to Rukmī and aligned with Kṛṣṇa), secures Bhīṣmaka’s willing acceptance, then advances to subdue additional regions and frontier groups such as Śūrpāraka, Tālākaṭa, and the Daṇḍaka forest, along with island-dwelling mleccha kings.