Shloka 41

आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः

Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition

Devanagari script

दनायुषस्तु पुत्राणां चतुर्णा प्रवरो5सुर: । विक्षरो नाम तेजस्वी वसुमित्रो नृप: स्मृत:,दनायुके चार पुत्रोंमें जो सबसे बड़ा है, वह विक्षर नामक तेजस्वी असुर यहाँ राजा वसुमित्र बताया गया है

Transliteration

danāyuṣas tu putrāṇāṁ caturṇāṁ pravaro 'suraḥ | vikṣaro nāma tejasvī vasumitro nṛpaḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Von den vier Söhnen Danāyus war der Vornehmste ein strahlender Asura namens Vikṣara; in dieser Überlieferung wird er als König Vasumitra erinnert.“

Word by Word

दनायुषःof Danāyu

तुbut/indeed

पुत्राणाम्of (his) sons

चतुर्णाम्of four

प्रवरःthe foremost/eldest

असुरःasura (demon)

विक्षरःVikṣara (name)

नामby name

तेजस्वीsplendid, powerful

वसुमित्रःVasumitra (name)

नृपःking

स्मृतःis said/remembered (as)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Danāyu

Vikṣara

Vasumitra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Itihāsa method of preserving memory: eminence is tied to lineage, and a person may be known under multiple names or identities (Vikṣara remembered as Vasumitra), reminding readers to track names carefully when assessing responsibility, reputation, and narrative continuity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing genealogical details: among Danāyu’s four sons, the eldest/foremost is introduced—Vikṣara, described as tejasvī, and identified in the tradition as the king Vasumitra.