Shloka 2
Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa-prasaṅgaḥ — Genealogy of the Ikṣvāku Line and Exempla of Royal Dharma
तेषां पुरस्तादभवन्नार्य्यावर्ते नृपा द्विजाः । तेषां विकुक्षिर्ज्येष्ठस्तु सोऽयोध्यायां नृपोऽभवत्
teṣāṃ purastādabhavannāryyāvarte nṛpā dvijāḥ | teṣāṃ vikukṣirjyeṣṭhastu so'yodhyāyāṃ nṛpo'bhavat
Before them, in Āryāvarta there arose kings who were also twice-born, upholders of Vedic dharma. Among them the eldest was Vikukṣi; he became the ruler in Ayodhyā.
Suta Goswami
Sthala Purana: Continues Ikṣvāku lineage: kings in Āryāvarta described as ‘dvija’ (Vedic-initiated upholders of dharma); Vikukṣi identified as eldest and king of Ayodhyā.
Significance: Ayodhyā as a major tīrtha-city; here it functions as a dharmic royal center within Purāṇic history rather than a Śaiva shrine reference.
FAQs
It frames righteous kingship as dharma-protecting leadership rooted in Vedic discipline—an outer social order that supports inner spiritual pursuit, which Shaiva teaching ultimately directs toward devotion to Pati (Shiva) and liberation.
Though the verse is genealogical, the Shiva Purana uses such royal lineages to show how dharmic realms become fit for Shiva-worship—temples, Linga-pratiṣṭhā, and public observances flourish when rulers uphold Vedic and Shaiva duties.
The implied takeaway is dharma-aligned living: daily Shiva-smaraṇa (remembrance), japa of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and maintaining purity and discipline—supportive foundations for deeper Shaiva sādhanā.