Shloka 4
Guṇa-vibhāga and Prāṇa–Agni–Yoga Upadeśa (गुणविभाग तथा प्राण-अग्नि-योगोपदेश)
तस्य श्रावस्तको ज्ञेय: श्रावस्ती येन निर्मिता | श्रावस्तकस्य दायादो बृहदश्वो महाबल:,श्रावका पुत्र श्रावस्त हुआ, जिसने श्रावस्तीपुरी बसायी थी। श्रावस्तके ही पुत्र महाबली बृहदश्व थे
tasya śrāvastako jñeyaḥ śrāvastī yena nirmitā | śrāvastakasya dāyādo bṛhadaśvo mahābalaḥ ||
Markandeya said: “Know that his son was Śrāvastaka—the very one by whom the city of Śrāvastī was founded. And Śrāvastaka’s heir was the mighty, great‑strength Bṛhadaśva.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the importance of lineage and rightful succession in royal tradition: founders and heirs are remembered as part of dharmic continuity—how a kingdom and its institutions (like a city) are sustained through legitimate inheritance.
Mārkaṇḍeya is recounting a genealogical sequence: he identifies Śrāvastaka as the founder of the city Śrāvastī and then names Śrāvastaka’s successor, the powerful king Bṛhadaśva.