Shloka 19
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 3: Karṇa’s training under Rāma Jāmadagnya and the Bhārgava restriction on the Brahmāstra
सो<ब्रवीदहमासं प्रागू दंशो नाम महासुर: । पुरा देवयुगे तात भूगोस्तुल्यवया इव,उसने उत्तर दिया--'तात! प्राचीनकालके सत्ययुगकी बात है। मैं दंश नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक महान् असुर था। महर्षि भूगुके बराबर ही मेरी भी अवस्था रही
so 'bravīd aham āsaṃ prāg daṃśo nāma mahāsuraḥ | purā devayuge tāta bhṛgor tulyavayā iva ||
Sumagot siya: “Mahal kong kausap, noong unang panahon—sa sinaunang panahong banal—ako’y isang makapangyarihang Asura na kilala sa pangalang Daṃśa. Noo’y ang aking gulang at katayuan ay, wari nga, maihahambing sa pantas na si Bhṛgu.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets an ethical-narrative premise: even a powerful Asura can be situated within the same temporal and social horizon as revered sages, preparing the listener to reflect on how conduct (dharma/adharma) rather than birth or power determines moral worth and eventual outcome.
A speaker recounts his former identity: he claims that in an ancient divine age he was a great Asura named Daṃśa, and that his age/status was comparable to the sage Bhṛgu—introducing a backstory that will frame subsequent events and moral reflections.