Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas
तस्मात् तु भारतं वर्षं तस्य नाम्ना महात्मनः ।
भतस्याप्यभूत् पुत्रः सुमतिर्नाम धार्मिकः ॥
tasmāt tu bhārataṃ varṣaṃ tasya nāmnā mahātmanaḥ |
bhatas yāpy abhūt putraḥ sumatir nāma dhārmikaḥ ||
Kaya nga ang lupain na ito ay tinawag na Bhārata-varṣa ayon sa pangalan ng dakilang-kaloobang iyon. At nagkaroon siya ng anak na lalaki na ang pangalan ay Sumati, isang taong matuwid at sumusunod sa dharma.
The land’s identity is tied to the moral stature of its exemplar-king; the epithet ‘dhārmika’ for the heir signals that legitimacy in succession is measured by dharma, not merely bloodline.
Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita: it records dynastic naming and succession, a standard Purāṇic function for mapping sacred history onto geography.
‘Bhārata’ can be read as ‘that which is borne/maintained’—the verse subtly frames the realm as something sustained by the bearer of dharma, not by force alone.