Digvijaya
Digvijaya means “victory in the directions” (dik, direction, and vijaya, victory). It is a planned campaign through all four directions, north, south, east and west, carried out by a king who wishes to become a samrāṭ (emperor). The kings of each region either accept his rule or are defeated. A digvijaya was one of the formal requirements for the Rājasūya yajña, the great royal sacrifice by which a king’s supreme rule was confirmed through sacred rite.
A digvijaya could be completed by battle or by peaceful agreement, but every major king in each direction had to either accept the rule of the would-be emperor or be defeated. The most famous digvijaya in the Mahābhārata is the Pāṇḍava Digvijaya, carried out by the four younger Pāṇḍava brothers before Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya.
The Idea Behind It
A digvijaya was both a military campaign and a sacred and political act. Completing it showed four things:
- Military strength: the would-be samrāṭ, or those acting for him, could defeat any king who chose to resist.
- Rightful rule: the kings of every direction had accepted the emperor’s rule, either after battle or of their own will.
- A tie of tribute: the kings who were conquered or who submitted sent tribute (gold, horses, elephants and goods) to the emperor’s capital.
- Completeness: all four directions, the whole known world, were under the emperor’s rule according to dharma.
A Rājasūya could not be performed until the digvijaya was finished. An emperor whose claim was challenged by any independent king still unconquered was not yet qualified.
The Pāṇḍava Digvijaya
For Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya, the four directions were shared out among the four younger brothers:
| Direction | Brother | Regions and kings |
|---|---|---|
| North | Arjuna | Himavat, Uttara Kuru, the kingdoms of Meru, Ilāvṛta, Gandhamādana and Ketumāla. He met divine and semi-divine beings, famous kings, and vast lands reaching to the edge of the known world. |
| East | Bhīmasena | Daśārṇa, Cedi (Śiśupāla submitted), Puṇḍra, Karṇa (who submitted after resisting), and the Lauhitya region |
| South | Sahadeva | Māhiṣmatī (Nīla submitted once the matter of Agni’s protection was dealt with), Kiṣkindhā (Mainda and Dvivida submitted after seven days), and the lands of the far south |
| West | Nakula | Śākala (Śalya submitted), Sindhu, Sarasvatī, and the Pahlava lands |
Method and Conduct
A digvijaya followed a set code of dharma. Kings who submitted peacefully were treated with respect and allowed to keep their kingdoms as rulers under the emperor. Kings who fought and lost were usually also allowed to keep their kingdoms once they submitted. The aim was for them to accept the emperor’s supremacy, not to destroy their kingdoms.
The tribute gathered was brought to the emperor’s capital and displayed at the Rājasūya itself. This showed all the assembled kings how wide the emperor’s rule had become.
Digvijaya in Later Tradition
The idea of digvijaya goes beyond the Mahābhārata into later Sanskrit tradition. The word is also used for the journeys of great ācāryas (teachers), such as Ādi Śaṅkarācārya’s digvijaya across Bhārata through debate. Here it means a journey through all directions in which every opponent is defeated in argument. The military idea is carried over into jñāna-yuddha, the “battle of knowledge”.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Chapters 23–32