Shloka 31
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
प्रह्दो नाम बाह्लीक: स बभूव नराधिप: । चन्द्रस्तु दितिजश्रेष्ठो लोके ताराधिपोपम:
prahdo nāma bāhlīkaḥ sa babhūva narādhipaḥ | candras tu ditijaśreṣṭho loke tārādhipopamaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Seorang raja bernama Prahda telah lahir dalam keturunan Bāhlīka. Dan Candra—yang terunggul antara para Daitya keturunan Diti, bersinar di dunia laksana penguasa bintang-bintang (Bulan)—turut lahir sebagai seorang pemerintah.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores that worldly power and royal birth can arise from diverse—sometimes non-divine—origins; therefore, ethical worth is not guaranteed by lineage or splendor. In the epic’s moral frame, dharma is assessed by conduct (self-control, justice, restraint), not merely by might or fame.
Vaiśampāyana continues a catalogue describing how formidable Daityas/Asuras manifest among human rulers. Here he names Prahda as a Bāhlīka king and mentions the Daitya Candra, described as Moon-like in radiance, as taking birth in the world in royal form.