Shloka 16
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
दीर्घप्रज्ञ इति ख्यात: पृथिव्यां सोडभवन्नूप: । अजक स्त्ववरो राजन् य आसीद् वृषपर्वण:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
dīrghaprajña iti khyātaḥ pṛthivyāṃ so 'bhavannūpaḥ |
ajaka stvavaro rājan ya āsīd vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: En la tierra, él llegó a ser el rey conocido como Dīrghaprajña. Y, oh rey, Ajaka—que había sido el hermano menor de Vṛṣaparvan—nació aquí como el soberano llamado Anūpa. Así el narrador prosigue trazando cómo poderosos Daityas y Asuras renacen en linajes reales humanos, insinuando que fuerzas formidables y moralmente ambiguas pueden reaparecer como reyes, cuyas obras darán forma a los conflictos venideros.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores a Mahābhārata theme: immense power—whether labeled Daitya/Asura or human—re-enters the world through kingship, and the moral weight of actions (karma) follows the being into new roles. Royal authority is thus ethically charged: a king’s origin and temperament matter because they can amplify either protection of order or destructive ambition.
Vaiśampāyana continues a catalog that identifies certain Daityas/Asuras as being born on earth as specific kings. In this verse, one becomes the king called Dīrghaprajña, and Ajaka—formerly the younger brother of Vṛṣaparvan—appears as the ruler associated with Anūpa.