मरुत्तोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः — Genealogy to Marutta and the Logistics of Royal Sacrifice
व्यास उवाच आसीत् कृतयुगे तात मनुर्दण्डधर: प्रभु: । तस्य पुत्रो महाबाहु: प्रसन्धिरिति विश्वुतः
vyāsa uvāca āsīt kṛtayuge tāta manur daṇḍadharaḥ prabhuḥ | tasya putro mahābāhuḥ prasandhir iti viśrutaḥ ||
ব্যাস বললেন—হে তাত! কৃতযুগে দণ্ডধারী পরাক্রান্ত মনু ছিলেন অধিপতি। তাঁর মহাবাহু পুত্র প্রসন্ধি নামে জগতে প্রসিদ্ধ ছিলেন।
व्यास उवाच
The verse frames ideal governance as dharmic kingship: the ruler is ‘daṇḍadhara’, one who upholds order through disciplined, just punishment, especially emblematic of the Kṛta (truthful) age. Authority is presented as responsibility rather than mere power.
Vyāsa begins a traditional account by situating it in the Kṛta Yuga and introducing a royal lineage: the sovereign Manu and his famed son Prasandhi, setting the stage for subsequent events connected to this genealogy.