Shloka 58
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
असुराणां तु यः सूर्य: श्रीमांश्नैव महासुर: । दरदो नाम बाह्लीको वर: सर्वमहीक्षिताम्,असुरोंमें जो सूर्य नामक श्रीसम्पन्न महान् असुर था, वही पृथ्वीपर सब राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ दरद नामक बाह्लीकराज हुआ
asurāṇāṃ tu yaḥ sūryaḥ śrīmāñ śnaiva mahāsuraḥ | darado nāma bāhlīko varaḥ sarvamahīkṣitām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Dalam kalangan Asura ada seorang Asura agung yang bercahaya dan mulia bernama Sūrya. Dialah yang lahir di bumi sebagai Darada, raja Bāhlīka, termasyhur sebagai yang terunggul antara segala raja.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring idea that extraordinary cosmic beings can manifest in human lineages; such inherited splendor and power gain true worth only when aligned with responsible kingship and dharmic restraint.
Vaiśampāyana identifies a past great Asura named Sūrya and states that he became (was born as) Darada, a Bāhlīka king, celebrated as the best among earthly rulers—part of a genealogical/cosmological mapping of beings to human dynasties.