Shloka 78
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
शकुनिर्नाम यस्त्वासीद् राजा लोके महारथ: । द्वापरं विद्धि तं राजन् सम्भूतमरिमर्दनम्
śakunir nāma yas tv āsīd rājā loke mahārathaḥ | dvāparaṃ viddhi taṃ rājan sambhūtam arimardanam ||
હે રાજન! આ લોકમાં મહારથી રાજા શકુની નામે જે પ્રસિદ્ધ હતો, તેને દ્વાપરયુગના અંશમાંથી ઉત્પન્ન થયેલો જાણો. તે શત્રુઓના ગર્વને મર્દન કરનાર હતો.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links a person’s dominant disposition to a cosmic-ethical framework (yuga). By calling Śakuni ‘born of a portion of Dvāpara,’ it suggests that certain temperaments—competitive, conflict-prone, and strategically sharp—manifest strongly in that age, thereby intensifying moral tests and the need for discernment in dharma.
Vaiśampāyana is describing Śakuni’s stature and origin in typological terms: he was a renowned king and great warrior, and the narrator instructs the listener-king to regard him as an embodiment of the Dvāpara element—an enemy-crushing figure whose presence foreshadows and fuels the coming conflicts.