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 berkata: Di bumi, dia menjadi raja yang dikenal sebagai Dīrghaprajña. Dan, wahai raja, Ajaka—yang dahulu adik kepada Vṛṣaparvan—lahir di sini sebagai pemerintah bernama Anūpa. Demikianlah sang pencerita terus memetakan kelahiran semula Daitya dan Asura yang perkasa ke dalam salasilah raja-raja manusia, menandakan bahawa kuasa yang dahsyat dan serba-ambivalen dari segi etika dapat muncul kembali sebagai kedaulatan duniawi, lalu perbuatan mereka membentuk pertikaian yang bakal tiba.
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.