Shloka 2
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 ||
Vyāsa said: “Dear one, in the Kṛta Yuga there lived the mighty Manu, sovereign and bearer of the royal rod of punishment. His son, the strong-armed prince, was renowned in the world by the name Prasandhi.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.