ततो बहुधनं रम्यं गवाश्वधनधान्यवत् ॥
कार्त्तिकेयस्य दयितं रोहीतकम् उपाद्रवत् ॥
तत्र युद्धं महद् वृत्तं शूरैर् मत्तमयूरकैः ॥
मरुभूमिं च कार्त्स्न्येन तथैव बहुधान्यकम् ॥
शैरीषकं महेच्छं च वशे चक्रे महाद्युतिः ॥
शिबींस् त्रिगर्तान् अम्बष्ठान् मालवान् पञ्चकर्पटान् ॥
tato bahudhanaṃ ramyaṃ gavāśvadhanadhānyavat ||
kārttikeyasya dayitaṃ rohītakam upādravat ||
tatra yuddhaṃ mahad vṛttaṃ śūrair mattamayūrakaiḥ ||
marubhūmiṃ ca kārtsnyena tathaiva bahudhānyakam ||
śairīṣakaṃ mahecchaṃ ca vaśe cakre mahādyutiḥ ||
śibīṃs trigartān ambaṣṭhān mālavān pañcakarpaṭān ||
Then he attacked Rohitaka — a wealthy, delightful city, abounding in cattle, horses, riches and grain, dear to Karttikeya. There a great battle occurred with the brave Mattamayurakas. And the whole of Marubhumi, and Bahudhanyaka, Shairishaka and Maheccha the most radiant one subdued, — the Shibis, Trigartas, Ambashthas, Malavas, Panchakarpatas,
a935cdd91cff · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:51 PM UTC
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Rohitaka is a city "dear to Karttikeya," the god of war; and it is precisely at this stronghold that a "great battle" flares up. It is telling that both the desert lands (Marubhumi) and the fertile fields alike come under a single dominion: dharma does not choose only the rich, nor does it disdain the meager. The verse teaches that righteous rule embraces the whole earth, whatever it may be — abundant and barren, populous and wild alike; for order is established not for the sake of plunder but for the sake of ordering, and so it extends equally to every region, without distinguishing them by profit.