Shloka 78
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
शकुनिर्नाम यस्त्वासीद् राजा लोके महारथ: । द्वापरं विद्धि तं राजन् सम्भूतमरिमर्दनम्
śakunir nāma yas tv āsīd rājā loke mahārathaḥ | dvāparaṃ viddhi taṃ rājan sambhūtam arimardanam ||
اے راجن! دنیا میں جو مہارتھی راجا ‘شکنی’ کے نام سے مشہور تھا، اسے دُوَاپر یُگ کے ایک حصے سے پیدا ہوا جان۔ وہ دشمنوں کے غرور کو کچلنے والا تھا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links a person’s dominant disposition to a cosmic-ethical framework (yuga). By calling Śakuni ‘born of a portion of Dvāpara,’ it suggests that certain temperaments—competitive, conflict-prone, and strategically sharp—manifest strongly in that age, thereby intensifying moral tests and the need for discernment in dharma.
Vaiśampāyana is describing Śakuni’s stature and origin in typological terms: he was a renowned king and great warrior, and the narrator instructs the listener-king to regard him as an embodiment of the Dvāpara element—an enemy-crushing figure whose presence foreshadows and fuels the coming conflicts.