Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas
तस्मिन् राज्यं समावेश्य भरतोऽपि वनं ययौ ।
एतेषां पुत्रपौत्रैस्तु सप्तद्वीपा वसुन्धरा ॥
tasmin rājyaṃ samāveśya bharato 'pi vanaṃ yayau |
eteṣāṃ putra-pautrais tu saptadvīpā vasundharā ||
Tendo-o instalado no reino, Bharata também se retirou para a floresta. E pelos filhos e netos desses reis, a terra, com seus sete continentes, veio a ser desfrutada e governada.
A model of righteous transition: one should secure orderly succession and then detach—showing that power is a trust to be handed on, not a possession to cling to.
Vaṃśānucarita with cosmographic linkage: dynastic continuity is presented as the mechanism by which the ‘seven-dvīpa’ world-order is administered.
The move from throne to forest symbolizes the inward journey: sovereignty over ‘seven dvīpas’ mirrors mastery over the many ‘regions’ of the self, culminating in withdrawal (nivṛtti).