Shloka 66

Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality

Devanagari script

वशे चक्रे महातेजा दण्डकांश्ष॒ महाबल: । सागरद्वीपवासांश्व॒ नृपतीन्‌ म्लेच्छयोनिजान्‌

Transliteration

vaśe cakre mahātejā daṇḍakān mahābalaḥ | sāgaradvīpavāsāṁś ca nṛpatīn mlecchayonijān ||

Translation

Сахадева сказал: Могучий, сияющий герой подчинил своей власти сильных царей Дандаки, а также владык, живших на морских островах, — тех, кого считали происходящими из млекчхов (вне ведической традиции).

Word by Word

• वशे: in (his) control
• वशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• चक्रे: made, brought
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• महातेजाः: the very radiant one
• महातेजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातेजस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दण्डकान्: the Dandakas (people of Daṇḍaka)
• दण्डकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• महाबलः: the very mighty one
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सागरद्वीपवासान्: those dwelling in the ocean-islands
• सागरद्वीपवासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागरद्वीपवास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नृपतीन्: kings
• नृपतीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• म्लेच्छयोनिजान्: born of Mleccha stock
• म्लेच्छयोनिजान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: म्लेच्छयोनिज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

सहदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sahadeva
• Daṇḍaka
• sāgara-dvīpa (sea-islands)
• nṛpati (kings/rulers)
• mleccha-yonija (kings of mleccha origin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a political-ethical theme of the epic: a ruler’s expanding sovereignty is portrayed as establishing a unified order over diverse regions and peoples. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s social vocabulary, where distant or non-orthodox groups are labeled “mleccha,” indicating perceived cultural-linguistic difference rather than a single ethnicity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sahadeva is recounting (or being described as) subduing additional territories during a campaign of conquest: the rulers of Daṇḍaka and the kings living in sea-islands, including those characterized as of mleccha origin, are brought under his control.