Shloka 78
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
रैवताद युवनाश्वश्व युवनाश्वात्ततो रघु: । इक्ष्वाकुवंशजस्तस्माद्धरिणाश्व: प्रतापवान्
Raivatād Yuvanāśvaś ca Yuvanāśvāt tato Raghuḥ | Ikṣvākūvaṁśajas tasmād Hariṇāśvaḥ pratāpavān ||
Bhīṣma meneruskan salasilah diraja: daripada Raivata lahir Yuvanāśva; daripada Yuvanāśva lahir Raghu; dan daripada keturunan Ikṣvāku yang termasyhur itu bangkitlah Hariṇāśva yang perkasa—terkenal dengan keberaniannya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights continuity of dharma through dynastic succession: exemplary kings are remembered not only as individuals but as links in a chain that preserves righteous governance, valor, and responsibility.
Bhīṣma is reciting a genealogical sequence within the Ikṣvāku (solar) line, naming successive rulers—Raivata, Yuvanāśva, Raghu, and Hariṇāśva—to situate later teachings about royal conduct within an authoritative ancestral tradition.