Shloka 2
Guṇa-vibhāga and Prāṇa–Agni–Yoga Upadeśa (गुणविभाग तथा प्राण-अग्नि-योगोपदेश)
शशादस्य तु दायाद: ककुत्स्थो नाम वीर्यवान् | अनेनाश्षापि काकुत्स्थ: पृथुश्चनानेनस: सुत:,शशादके पुत्र पराक्रमी ककुत्स्थ हुए। ककुत्स्थके पुत्र अनेना और अनेनाके पृथु हुए
śaśādasya tu dāyādaḥ kakutstho nāma vīryavān | anenāś cāpi kākutsthaḥ pṛthuś cānānasas sutaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Now, Śaśāda had an heir— a mighty hero named Kakutstha. Kakutstha in turn had a son named Anenā; and Anenā’s son was Pṛthu, the blameless.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Itihāsa emphasis on dynastic continuity and the ethical valuation of rulers: heirs are remembered not only by succession but by qualities like vīrya (prowess) and anānasatva (blamelessness), suggesting that legitimacy is tied to virtue as well as birth.
Mārkaṇḍeya is recounting a lineage: Śaśāda’s successor is Kakutstha; Kakutstha’s son is Anenā; and Anenā’s son is Pṛthu, described as blameless. It is a genealogical link within a broader ancestral narration.