Pūru-vaṁśa, Duṣmanta–Śakuntalā, and the Rise of Mahārāja Bharata
किरातहूणान् यवनान् पौण्ड्रान् कङ्कान् खशाञ्छकान् । अब्रह्मण्यनृपांश्चाहन् म्लेच्छान् दिग्विजयेऽखिलान् ॥ ३० ॥
kirāta-hūṇān yavanān pauṇḍrān kaṅkān khaśāñ chakān abrahmaṇya-nṛpāṁś cāhan mlecchān dig-vijaye ’khilān
ในการพิชิตทิศทั้งปวง มหาราชภรตะได้ปราบหรือสังหารพวกกิราตะ หูณะ ยวะนะ เปาณฑระ กังกะ ขศะ ศกะ และกษัตริย์มเลจฉะผู้ต่อต้านหลักเวทและวัฒนธรรมพราหมณ์ทั้งหมด
It states that during his digvijaya (conquest), the king slew mleccha rulers and other kings who were abrahmaṇya—opposed to brahminical principles—thereby protecting dharma.
The verse lists prominent non-Vedic or frontier peoples to show the extent of the king’s campaign and his role as a kṣatriya in restraining forces seen as hostile to Vedic order.
As a principle, it teaches protecting dharma: resisting influences that degrade virtue, truthfulness, and spiritual culture—through education, self-discipline, and courageous integrity rather than harm.