Adhyaya 61 — The Second Manvantara Begins: The Brahmin’s Swift Journey and Varuthini’s Temptation on Himavat
कश्चिद् द्विजातिप्रवरः पुरेऽभूदरुणास्पदे ।
वरुणायास्तटे विप्रो रूपेणात्यश्विनावपि ॥
kaścid dvijāti-pravaraḥ pure 'bhūd aruṇāspade |
varuṇāyās taṭe vipro rūpeṇāty-aśvināv api ||
अरुणास्पद नावाच्या नगरीत एक श्रेष्ठ द्विज (ब्राह्मण) राहत होता. वरुणा नदीच्या तीरावर तो ब्राह्मण अत्यंत देखणा होता—सौंदर्यात जणू अश्विनीकुमारांसारखा।
Purāṇas often ground cosmic chronology in exemplary human stories: virtue and learning are introduced through a model brāhmaṇa whose life becomes a vehicle for teaching.
Serves 'Manvantara' narration and can support 'Vaṃśānucarita' indirectly when the episode connects to lineage/era-specific rulers (as the chapter proceeds).
The riverbank setting suggests liminality—a threshold between states. The Aśvin comparison hints at healing and restoration motifs that often accompany dharmic exemplars.