Shloka 37
पृथुस् ततस् ततो नक्तो नक्तस्यापि गयः सुतः नरो गयस्य तनयस् तत्पुत्रो ऽभूद् विराट् ततः
pṛthus tatas tato nakto naktasyāpi gayaḥ sutaḥ naro gayasya tanayas tatputro 'bhūd virāṭ tataḥ
From Pṛthu came Nakta; Nakta’s son was Gaya. Gaya’s son was Nara; and from Nara was born Virāṭ—thus the royal line continued in due order.
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Sequential descent of rulers within the Priyavrata-related line.
Teaching: Genealogical
Quality: matter-of-fact
Dharma Exemplar: Pṛthu—archetype of kṣatriya responsibility and protector/provider (name evokes famed Pṛthu ideal even if not identical across traditions)
Key Kings: Pṛthu, Nakta, Gaya, Nara, Virāṭ
FAQs
This verse advances the royal succession from Pṛthu onward, showing how dharma-bearing kings preserve social order as part of Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty in history.
He presents a concise father-to-son chain—Nakta, Gaya, Nara, Virāṭ—using genealogical enumeration to anchor later narratives in an authenticated dynastic framework.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames righteous rulership and orderly succession as operating within Vishnu’s sustaining power (sthiti), making history a vehicle of divine order.