Shloka 1.70.21

वंशवर्णनम् तथा विवाहप्रार्थना — Genealogy of the Ikshvaku Line and the Proposal for Marriage

Devanagari script

विवस्वान् काश्यपाज्जज्ञे मनुर्वैवस्वत स्स्मृत:।मनु: प्रजापति: पूर्वमिक्ष्वाकुस्तु मनोस्सुत:।।1.70.21।।

Transliteration

tam ikṣvākum ayodhyāyāṁ rājānaṁ viddhi pūrvakam |

ikṣvākoḥ tu sutaḥ śrīmān kukṣir ity eva viśrutaḥ || 1.70.22 ||

Translation

Know Ikṣvāku as the earliest ancestral king in Ayodhyā. Ikṣvāku’s son, the illustrious one, was famed by the name Kukṣi.

Context

Kasyapa begot Vivasvan and Vivasvan, Manu. Ikshavaku was the son of Manuotherwise called Prajapati or Vaivasvata.

Characters & Entities

• Ikṣvāku
• Ayodhyā
• Kukṣi

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is continuity of rightful rule: naming the first king and his successor underscores orderly succession rather than arbitrary power.

What is the narrative situation?

Vasiṣṭha anchors the Ikṣvāku line specifically in Ayodhyā and moves to the next generation (Kukṣi).

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Legitimacy through orderly succession—an implied ideal of stable kingship.