Shloka 23
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
चित्रधर्मेति विख्यात: क्षितावासीत् स पार्थिव: । हरस्त्वरिहरो वीर आसीद्ू यो दानवोत्तम:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
citradharmeti vikhyātaḥ kṣitāv āsīt sa pārthivaḥ |
haras tv ariharo vīra āsīd yo dānavottamaḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“大地上有一位以‘奇特法（Citradharma）’著称的国王。那位名为‘诃罗（Hara）’的勇猛魔王——以诛灭仇敌而闻名——也在此降生（化现）为这位君主。此段将人间王权置于更宏阔的道德宇宙之中：强大的非人之力投生于人世，其威势一旦转向敌意，便成为纷争之因，也成为达摩受试之处。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a Mahābhārata theme: worldly politics is intertwined with a larger moral-cosmic drama. When powerful asuric beings take human birth as kings, their strength can intensify rivalry and violence, making righteous governance (dharma) harder and more necessary.
Vaiśampāyana continues a catalog describing how various dānavas/asuras were born on earth as human rulers. Here he identifies the king named Citradharma as the earthly birth of the dānava Hara, famed for destroying enemies.