Shloka 23
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
चित्रधर्मेति विख्यात: क्षितावासीत् स पार्थिव: । हरस्त्वरिहरो वीर आसीद्ू यो दानवोत्तम:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
citradharmeti vikhyātaḥ kṣitāv āsīt sa pārthivaḥ |
haras tv ariharo vīra āsīd yo dānavottamaḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Di bumi ada seorang raja yang termasyhur dengan nama Citradharma. Dan Hara, pemimpin para Dānawa yang gagah—terkenal sebagai pembinas a musuh—terlahir di sini sebagai raja itu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a Mahābhārata theme: worldly politics is intertwined with a larger moral-cosmic drama. When powerful asuric beings take human birth as kings, their strength can intensify rivalry and violence, making righteous governance (dharma) harder and more necessary.
Vaiśampāyana continues a catalog describing how various dānavas/asuras were born on earth as human rulers. Here he identifies the king named Citradharma as the earthly birth of the dānava Hara, famed for destroying enemies.