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Manu

 

(South and Central Asian mythology)

He is the Hindu Noah. One day, in the water which was brought to Manu for washing his hands, he discovered a tiny fish which begged him to spare its life. ‘Preserve me,’ said the fish, ‘and I will preserve you.’ When Manu asked how the fish could save him, he was told of an imminentflood, which would carry away all living things. So Manu put the fish in a pot, but it grew so rapidly that he was obliged to move it to a tank, a lake, and at last, the sea itself. Thereupon the fish predicted the flood and told Manu to prepare a ship against the danger, which he did. When the waters rose and Manu floated on their surface, the fish returned and towed the vessel by a cable fastened to its horn. Their journey was long and took them above the submerged peaks of the Himalayas. Lonely, Manu prayed for offspring and was granted a wife. From their union sprang the generations of Manu, progenitors of mankind.

In one myth the fish reveals its identity as Vishnu, in another as Brahma. There are, however, fourteen Manus in Hindu cosmology, since there are fourteen manvantaras or Manu-deluges, in every kalpa. The lawbook ascribed to Manu was compiled by one of them. The present era is the seventh of the kalpa and our particular deluge will be known in due course as that of ‘Manu, the Son of the Radiant Sun’.

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Dictionary: Ma·nu   ('nū, mŭ'-) pronunciation
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n. Hinduism
The primordial father of the human race and sovereign of the earth who first instituted religious ceremonies and devised a code of laws.

[Sanskrit Manuḥ, from manuḥ, man.]


Asian Mythology: Manu
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Each age (manvantara)—lasting 4, 320, 000 years—in the Hindu (see Hinduism entries) scheme of things has a demiurge called Manu, who is the progenitor of the human race (thus “human” = manava). The first Manu was Svāyaṃbhuva, who produced the “Laws of Manu” (see Laws of Manu). The Manu of our age is Satyavrata or Vāivasvata, son of the sun (Vivasvat), who is best known for the flood story (see Fish and the Flood). Satyavrata Manu was given the Vedas (see Vedas) so that he might teach the human race dharma (see Dharma).

 
Manu ('), semilegendary Hindu lawgiver. Traditionally ascribed to him are the Laws of Manu, best known of the Sanskrit smriti texts (see Sanskrit literature). They were compiled, probably between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200, from diverse ancient sources and provide detailed rules, presumably directed to Brahman priests, governing ritual and daily life. In particular they seek to validate and preserve the high caste position of the Brahmans.

Bibliography

See The Laws of Manu, tr. by G. Bühler (1886, repr. 1967).

According to Theosophy, a grade in the theosophical hierarchy below the Planetary Logoi, or Rulers of the Seven Chains. The charge given to Manus is that of forming the different races of humanity and guiding humanity's evolution. Each race has its own Manu, who represents the racial type. This theosophical concept derives from Hindu mythology of Manu (man; thinker), a series of fourteen progenitors of the human race, each creation being destroyed in a Mahayuga (vast cycle of time) involving a deluge.

The Manu of the present creation is Manu Vaivasvata, who built an ark during a cosmic deluge and afterward renewed the human race. He is the reputed author of the Manava Dharma Shastra, or Laws of Manu, an ancient Hindu treatise that prescribes human religious and social duties.

Sources:

Das, Ghagavan. The Science of Social Organisation; or, The Laws of Manu in the Light of Atma-Vidya. 2 vols. Rev. ed. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1932.

Wikipedia: Manu (Hinduism)
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For other uses of Manu, see Manu

In Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata", (One with the oath of truth).

Mahabharata says: "And Manu was imbued with great wisdom and devoted to virtue. And he became the progenitor of a line. And in Manu's race have been born all human beings, who have, therefore, been called Manavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, and others have been descended, and are, therefore, all called Manavas. Subsequently, O monarch, the Brahmanas became united with the Kshatriyas. And those sons of Manu that were Brahmanas devoted themselves to the study of the Vedas. "The ten sons of Manu are known as Vena, Dhrishnu, Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, the eighth, a daughter named Ila, Prishadhru the ninth, and Nabhagarishta, the tenth. They all betook themselves to the practices of Kshatriyas. Besides these, Manu had fifty other sons on Earth. But we heard that they all perished, quarrelling with one another."[1]

Contents

14 Manus of Śveta Vārāha Kalpa

Each Manu rules during an eon called a Manvantara. The Puranas ascribe to each Manvantara one Indra, one Vishnu avatara, etc.[2] 14 Manvantaras make up a Kalpa, a period corresponding to a day in the life of Brahma. 14 Manus of the present Śveta Vārāha Kalpa are

  1. Svayambhuva Manu
  2. Svarocisa Manu
  3. Uttama Manu or Auttami
  4. Tamasa Manu
  5. Raivata Manu
  6. Caksusa Manu
  7. Sraddhadeva Manu (or Vaivasvata Manu) [3]
  8. Savarni Manu
  9. Daksa Savarni Manu
  10. Brahma Savarni Manu
  11. Dharma Savarni Manu
  12. Rudra Savarni Manu
  13. Deva Savarni Manu or Raucya
  14. Indra Savarni Manu or Bhauta

According to the Puranas, currently we are in the 7th Manvantara headed by Sraddhadeva (Vaivasvata) Manu.

The genealogy of Svayambhuva Manu

According to the Puranas, the genealogy of the 1st Manu, Svayambhuva is as follows:

  1. Brahma or Svayambhu
  2. Svayambhuva Manu, son of Brahma and Gayatri[4] (alternately, Shatarupa, Brahmani, Sarasvati or Savitri)
  3. Uttanapada and Priyavrata were two sons of Svayamhubha Manu and Ananti[4]
  4. Dhruva, Apasyati, Apasyanta and Kiritimana were four sons of Uttanapada and Sunrita (or Suniti), daughter of Dharma[4]
  5. Śiṣta, son of Dhruva and Dhanya[4]
  6. Ripuñjaya, Kripa, Vrita, Vrika and Vrikatejasa were five sons of Shista and Succhaya, daughter of Agni[4]
  7. Cakṣu, son of Ripuñjaya and Virini[4]
  8. Cākṣusa Manu, son of Cakṣu[4]

The genealogy of Vaivasvata Manu

According to the Puranas, the genealogy of the 7th Manu, Vaivasvata is as follows:

  1. Brahma
  2. Marichi, one of the 10 Prajapatis created by Brahma.
  3. Kashyapa, son of Marichi and Kala. Kashyapa is regarded as the father of humanity.
  4. Vivasvan or Surya, son of Kashyapa and Aditi.
  5. Vaivasvata Manu, originally Satyavrata, son of Vivasvan and Saṃjñā.
  6. Ikshvaku, Nabhaga, Narishyanta, Karusha, Prishadhra, Dhrishta, Sharyati, Pramshu and Nabhanedishta were the nine sons and Ila was the only daughter of Vaivasvata Manu.[5]

Vaivasvata Manu and the Matsya Avatara

The Matsya Avatara of Vishnu is believed to have appeared initially as a Shaphari ( a small carp) to King Manu (whose original name was Satyavrata[6][7]), the then King od Dravidadesa, while he washed his hands in a river. This river was supposed to have been flowing down the Malaya Mountains in his land of Dravida. According to the Matsya Purana, his ship is supposed to have been perched after the deluge on the top of these Malaya Mountains.[6][7][8][9] The little fish asked the king to save It. Out of compassion he put it into his water jar. It kept growing bigger and bigger. Manu first put him in a bigger pitcher and then deposited it in well. When the well also proved insuffucient he placed it in tank. As it grew further, Manu put the fish in the river. When, he found, the river was also insufficient, he placed it in the ocean. Finally, it nearly filled the vast expanse of the great ocean and informed the King of a deluge which would occur soon.[6][7][8][9][10] The King builds a huge boat, which houses his family, 9 types of seeds, and animals to repopulate the earth after the deluge occurs and the oceans and seas recede. At the time of deluge, Vishnu appeared as a horned fish and Shesha appeared as a rope, with which Vaivsvata Manu fastened the boat to horn of the fish[11].

According to the Matsya Purana, his boat was perched after the deluge on the top of the Malaya Mountains.[7][8][9] This narrative is to an extent similar to other deluge stories, like those of Gilgamesh from ancient Sumerian Mythology, and the story of Noah's ark from Judeo-Christianity.

Works ascribed to Manu

According to tradition, Manava Grihyasutra, Manava Sulbasutra and Manava Dharmashastra (Manusmriti) texts are ascribed to Manu (Sayambhuva). Manusmriti is considered by some Hindus to be the law laid down for Hindus and is seen as the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmaśāstra textual tradition of Hinduism.[12]. At the same time it is a Smriti, so whenever there is a conflict between what is mentioned in it and that mentioned in sruti (Vedas and Upanishads) the latter is considered to be correct as it holds higher spiritual authority.

In Theosophy

In Theosophy, the Manu is regarded as the progenitor of the Aryan root race.

In modern literature

In the Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Claude Frollo is seen to be studying Manu's works in his study of alchemy.

References

  1. ^ Mahabharata Book 1:Adi Parva:Sambhava Parva:Section LXXV
  2. ^ 14 Manu-s of 14 Manu-antara-s
  3. ^ Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) 8.13.1
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Matsya Purana, Ch.IV, 24-42
  5. ^ Misra, V.S. (2007). Ancient Indian Dynasties, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-413-8, p.48
  6. ^ a b c Matsya Purana
  7. ^ a b c d Bhagavata Purana 8.24.12
  8. ^ a b c http://books.google.com/books?id=IQwXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA341&lpg=PA341&dq=Malaya+Manu+Matsya&source=web&ots=n3yoFHIe9H&sig=l2ogGObTKvnjsIf_Xj34gZrFtYM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result
  9. ^ a b c http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/442/1/The-Matsya-Purana/Page1.html
  10. ^ Matsya Purana, Ch.I, 10-33
  11. ^ Matsya Purana, Ch.II, 1-19
  12. ^ See Flood 1996: 56 and Olivelle 2005.

Notes

  • Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43878-0. 
  • Olivelle, Patrick. "Dharmasastra: A Literary History"

See also


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World Mythology Dictionary. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Copyright © Arthur Cotterell 1979, 1986, 2003. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Asian Mythology. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by David Leeming. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Occultism & Parapsychology Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Copyright © 2001 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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