Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
ऋषभाद् भरतो जज्ञे वीरः पुत्रशताग्रजः / सो ऽभिषिच्यर्षभः पुत्रं भरतं पृथिवीपतिः / वानप्रस्थाश्रमं गत्वा तपस्तेपे यथाविधि
ṛṣabhād bharato jajñe vīraḥ putraśatāgrajaḥ / so 'bhiṣicyarṣabhaḥ putraṃ bharataṃ pṛthivīpatiḥ / vānaprasthāśramaṃ gatvā tapastepe yathāvidhi
De Ṛṣabha nasceu Bharata, herói, o primogênito entre cem filhos. Então Ṛṣabha, senhor da terra, após consagrar Bharata como rei, entrou no āśrama de vānaprastha (vida de eremita na floresta) e praticou austeridades conforme o rito prescrito.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Purāṇic royal genealogy to the sages
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Indirectly, by presenting Ṛṣabha’s movement from sovereignty to disciplined tapas, it points to the Purāṇic ideal that worldly authority is secondary to inner mastery—self-rule (ātma-saṃyama) culminating in renunciant orientation toward the Self.
The verse emphasizes tapas within the vānaprastha āśrama—regulated austerity and disciplined living “as prescribed” (yathāvidhi), a dharma-based foundation that supports later yogic concentration and renunciant practice in the Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual framework.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; instead, it reflects the Purāṇa’s synthetic ethic where dharma (right kingship) and tapas (austerity) together form a shared spiritual pathway honored across Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava traditions.