Shloka 17
Śrāddhadeva Manu’s Sons: Pṛṣadhra’s Curse and Renunciation; Genealogies of Nariṣyanta and Diṣṭa
धृष्टाद् धार्ष्टमभूत् क्षत्रं ब्रह्मभूयं गतं क्षितौ । नृगस्य वंश: सुमतिर्भूतज्योतिस्ततो वसु: ॥ १७ ॥
dhṛṣṭād dhārṣṭam abhūt kṣatraṁ brahma-bhūyaṁ gataṁ kṣitau nṛgasya vaṁśaḥ sumatir bhūtajyotis tato vasuḥ
மனுவின் புதல்வன் த்ருஷ்டனிடமிருந்து தார்ஷ்ட எனும் க்ஷத்திரியக் குலம் தோன்றியது; அவர்கள் இவ்வுலகில் பிராமணப் பதவியை அடைந்தனர். பின்னர் மனுவின் புதல்வன் ந்ருகனிடமிருந்து சுமதி, சுமதியிலிருந்து பூதஜ்யோதி, பூதஜ்யோதியிலிருந்து வசு பிறந்தனர்.
Here it is said, kṣatraṁ brahma-bhūyaṁ gataṁ kṣitau: although the Dhārṣṭas belonged to the kṣatriya caste, they were able to convert themselves into brāhmaṇas. This gives clear evidence supporting the following statement by Nārada ( Bhāg. 7.11.35 ):
FAQs
This verse notes that the royal (kṣatriya) line descending from Dhṛṣṭa—through Dhārṣṭa—later attained brāhmaṇa status, showing that one’s social designation can be linked to qualities and function, not merely birth.
He is narrating the solar and related dynastic successions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, preserving sacred genealogies that connect later kings and events to earlier divine arrangements and dharmic history.
Focus on cultivating brāhmaṇical virtues—truthfulness, self-control, learning, and devotion—rather than clinging to labels; spiritual and ethical refinement is presented as the real basis of honor and identity.