Shloka 14
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
अशोको नाम राजाभूनन््महावीर्योडपराजित: । तस्मादवरजो यस्तु राजन्नश्वपति: स्मृत:
aśoko nāma rājābhūn mahāvīryo 'parājitaḥ | tasmād avarajo yas tu rājan aśvapatiḥ smṛtaḥ ||
ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า “มีกษัตริย์นามว่า ‘อศोकะ’ ผู้ทรงเดชยิ่งและไม่เคยพ่ายแพ้ และข้าแต่พระราชา น้องชายของพระองค์เป็นที่จดจำว่า ‘อัศวปติ’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itself is descriptive, but within its larger passage it suggests that political might and worldly success can be linked with fierce, potentially unrighteous impulses; therefore, kingship must be restrained and guided by dharma rather than mere power.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a catalog of rulers, stating that a king named Aśoka was undefeated and that his younger brother was known as Aśvapati—part of a broader account connecting certain human kings with the births of powerful non-human beings.