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 ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்— அவன் பூமியில் ‘தீர்கப்ரஜ்ஞன்’ என்ற பெயரால் புகழ்பெற்ற அரசனானான். அரசே, வ்ருஷபர்வனின் இளைய சகோதரன் அஜகன் இங்கே ‘அனூபன்’ என்ற பெயரால் அரசனாகப் பிறந்தான்।
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.