Shloka 64
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
कारूषकाश्न राजान: क्षेमधूर्तिस्तथैव च । श्रुतायुरुद्वहश्चैव बृहत्सेनस्तथैव च
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kārūṣakāś ca rājānaḥ kṣemadhūrtis tathaiva ca | śrutāyur udvahaś caiva bṛhatsenas tathaiva ca | madrakaḥ kṛṇaveṣṭaḥ siddhārthaḥ kīṭakaḥ suvīraḥ subāhuḥ mahāvīraḥ bāhlikaḥ krathaḥ vicitraḥ surathaḥ śrīmān nīla-nareśaḥ cīravāsā bhūmipālaḥ dantavaktraḥ dānava-durjayaḥ nṛpaśreṣṭho rukmī rājā janamejayaḥ āṣāḍhaḥ vāyuvegaḥ bhūritejā ekalavyaḥ sumitraḥ vāṭadhānaḥ gomukhaḥ | kārūṣadeśake aneke rājānaḥ kṣemadhūrtiḥ śrutāyuḥ udvahaḥ bṛhatsenaḥ kṣemaḥ ugratīrthaḥ kaliṅga-nareśaḥ kuharaḥ tathā parama-buddhimān manuṣyāṇāṃ rājā īśvaraḥ ||
Dari negeri Kāruṣa pun datang para raja—Kṣemadhūrti; juga Śrutāyu, Udvaha, dan Bṛhatsena.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a political catalogue: many rulers converge, implying that power is collective and that each king’s choices—alliances, counsel, and conduct—carry dharmic responsibility. The epic frames large-scale conflict not as fate alone but as the sum of decisions made by many leaders.
Vaiśampāyana enumerates kings from Kāruṣa and other regions who have gathered/are being counted among participants in the broader epic events. Such lists typically mark the assembling of forces and the widening scope of the story’s political world.