Within the Purāṇic vision, genealogies are not merely lists of names but sacred maps that link cosmic origins to royal authority and human destiny. At the broadest level, many lineages are traced back to Brahmā and the Prajāpatis, especially through Marīci and Kaśyapa, from whom arise devas, asuras, nāgas, and other beings. This cosmic ancestry frames the human dynasties as part of a larger, ordered universe in which kingship, sagehood, and even opposition to the gods all have a place within dharma. The lineages of sages (ṛṣi‑vaṁśas) and the recurring saptarṣis for each manvantara further underscore that time itself is structured through families of seers and lawgivers.

Among human royal lines, the Solar and Lunar dynasties stand out as the principal narrative backbones. The Solar dynasty (Sūrya‑vaṁśa or Ikṣvāku line) descends from the sun through Manu and Ikṣvāku and is associated with Ayodhyā and the ideal of righteous kingship. Its notable rulers include Harishchandra, Sagara, Dilīpa, Bhagīratha, Daśaratha, and Rāma, whose reign is repeatedly invoked as a touchstone of dharma. This lineage is often treated as a paradigmatic model of just rule, with its kings woven into stories of the descent of the Gaṅgā and the embodiment of royal virtue.

The Lunar dynasty (Candra‑vaṁśa) begins with Soma and unfolds through Budha and Purūravas into several influential branches. From Yayāti arise the lines of Yadu and Puru, which the Purāṇas develop into extensive royal networks. The Yadu line gives rise to the Yādavas, including the Vṛṣṇi and related clans, among whom Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, and their kin stand at the center of devotion and narrative. The Puru branch leads into the Kuru and related dynasties, encompassing figures such as Bharata, Kuru, the Kuru kings of the Mahābhārata, and their descendants like the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas, thereby tying epic history to a continuous ancestral stream.

Around these great trunks of Solar and Lunar descent, the Purāṇas also describe other significant royal houses and regional lines. Dynasties of Magadha, Videha, and various kingdoms such as Kosala and others are situated within the broader web of Paurava or Yādava ancestry, or linked through marriage and alliance. Genealogies of asuras, nāgas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas mirror the human dynasties, suggesting that even forces opposed to the devas participate in a shared familial cosmos. Taken together, these intertwined lineages offer a vision in which cosmology, kingship, and spiritual order are inseparable, each dynasty serving as a thread in the vast tapestry of dharma.