In ancient times, the lineage of kings continued unbroken, each son ruling the kingdom with the same wisdom and virtue as his father before him. After a noble king, his son Pracinvān ascended the throne, upholding the just rule of his ancestors. When Pracinvān’s time came, his son Nabhasya was born and, in turn, ruled the land with equal righteousness. This tradition endured: Nabhasya’s son Sudyumna succeeded him, ruling as his father had, followed by Sudyumna’s son Saṃyāti, who did the same. The line continued with Saṃyāti’s son Aindrāśva, and then Aindrāśva’s son, Sutapā, who too governed the realm in the manner of his forefathers. But Sutapā, after a time, felt a yearning for spiritual pursuit. Reaching the sacred Himalayas, he dedicated himself to austerities, seeking higher truths. Pleased with his own resolve and the call of the spirit, Sutapā entrusted his kingdom to Samvarana. He renounced worldly power and set out to behold the Sun, seeking divine vision. In the wake of these events, calamity struck the land of Bharata. The four ancient oceans dried up, their waters swept away by a mighty wind, and the kingdom fell into ruin. For five years, the earth lay barren—until, at last, trees, sacred grass, and other vegetation sprang forth once more, restoring life to the land. During this renewal, Samvarana gathered with the sage Vashishtha and the foremost members of the three varnas, seeking counsel and guidance. It was then that the account of the kings of the Dvapara age was requested, with Lomaharshana, the learned sage, asked to recount the lineages and deeds of these rulers. Samvarana, along with the sages, established himself at the city of Pratishthana—a splendid city, stretching five yojanas in length, built to endure through the ages. Meanwhile, in the Yadu lineage, Sātvata became king of Mathura, and in the Mleccha lineage, Shmashrupala ruled the land of Maru. Samvarana’s reign was long and prosperous, lasting ten thousand years. After him, his son Surijapi inherited half the kingdom. Surijapi’s rule lasted less than a century, after which his son Atithyavardhana was born. Each successive king—Divakara, Vivasvat, Haridashva-archana, Darkeshtiman, Mihira, Dyumani-vatsala, Maitreṣṭi-vardhana, Vairochana, Vedapravardhana, Dhanapala, Ānandavarddhana, Brahmabhakta, Ātmaprapūjaka, Dhairaṇyavarddhana, Vidhātṛprapūjaka, Vairañcya, Śamavartī, Pitṛvarddhana, Saumadatti, and Avataṃsa—took up the mantle of kingship, each ruling for less than a hundred years or in the measure of his father’s reign, faithfully upholding the legacy and responsibilities of their ancestors. Thus, the noble lineage endured, each king preserving the traditions and righteousness of the past, ensuring the continuity and order of the world through the ages.