Shloka 31
Duḥṣanta at Kaṇva-Āśrama; Śakuntalā’s Reception and Origin Prelude (दुःषन्तस्य कण्वाश्रमागमनम्)
सिंहिका सुषुवे पुत्र॑ राहुं चन्द्रार्कमर्टनम् । सुचन्द्रं चन्द्रहर्तारं तथा चन्द्रप्रमर्दनम्,सिंहिकाने राहु नामक पुत्रको उत्पन्न किया, जो चन्द्रमा और सूर्यका मान-मर्दन करनेवाला है। इसके सिवा सुचन्द्र, चन्द्रहर्ता तथा चन्द्रप्रमर्दनको भी उसीने जन्म दिया
siṁhikā suṣuve putraṁ rāhuṁ candrārkamardanam | sucandraṁ candrahartāraṁ tathā candrapramardanam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Siṁhikā gave birth to a son named Rāhu, famed for humiliating the Moon and the Sun. She also bore Sucandra, Candrahartā (the “stealer of the Moon”), and Candrapramardana (the “crusher of the Moon”).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cosmic disruption (eclipses, the ‘seizing’ of Sun and Moon) as arising from a hostile, demonic lineage, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s moral imagination: forces aligned with adharma seek to obscure light and order, while dharma is associated with sustaining clarity and stability in the world.
Vaiśampāyana continues a genealogical account, stating that Siṁhikā bore Rāhu—described as one who oppresses the Moon and Sun—and also bore three other named beings associated with harming or seizing the Moon: Sucandra, Candrahartā, and Candrapramardana.