Nakula Conquers the Western Kingdoms – Stories from Sabha Parva

Nakula went westwards to conquer the kingdoms on this side while his brothers went in other directions. They had to conquer the entire world to make Yudhistira eligible for the Rajasuya. 

Nakula’s journey followed Krishna’s earlier path as he conquered the same kingdoms. His first stop was Rohitaka, a land known for his cattle, grains, and wealth. He fought and defeated the Mattamayuraka warriors before proceeding towards the desert regions. This land was known as Sairishaka and was famous for its grain. Nakula’s conquests included the Maheccha, the Shibis, the Trigartas, the Ambashthas, the Malavas, the five groups of Karpatas, and the Brahmins Madhyamikaya and Vatadhana.

He then defeated the Utsavasamketa clans from the Pushkara forest, the Gramaneyas on the banks of River Sindu, and many clans of shudras and abhiras (cowherds) who lived alongside River Saraswati. Nakula proceeded to the land of five rivers and moved on to the mountains, the western Paryatas, the northern Jyotika, and a city named Vrindataka and Dwarapala. He defeated the Harhunas and other kings in the west. 

As Nakula went further ahead, he sent a message to Krishna in Dwarka who along with ten other kingdoms in the region happily accepted Yudhistira’s rule and sent their tributes. From there, the fourth Pandava brother went to Shakala, a city in Madra. His maternal uncle, King Shalya, welcomed him and offered the tribute voluntarily. Shalya accepted the invitation to the Rajasuya yagna. 

Nakula’s next stops were the kingdoms of fearful mlecchas, the Pahlavas, and the Barbaras alongside the ocean. He turned back to Indraprastha since there weren’t any kingdoms in the ocean.

Nakula brought so much wealth that even ten thousand camels could carry it with much difficulty.

Read about Arjuna, Bhima, and Sahadeva’s conquests.