- 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]
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
- Svayambhuva Manu
- Svarocisa Manu
- Uttama Manu or Auttami
- Tamasa Manu
- Raivata Manu
- Caksusa Manu
- Sraddhadeva Manu (or Vaivasvata Manu) [3]
- Savarni Manu
- Daksa Savarni Manu
- Brahma Savarni Manu
- Dharma Savarni Manu
- Rudra Savarni Manu
- Deva Savarni Manu or Raucya
- 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:
- Brahma or Svayambhu
- Svayambhuva Manu, son of Brahma and Gayatri[4] (alternately, Shatarupa, Brahmani, Sarasvati or Savitri)
- Uttanapada and Priyavrata were two sons of Svayamhubha Manu and Ananti[4]
- Dhruva, Apasyati, Apasyanta and Kiritimana were four sons of Uttanapada and Sunrita (or Suniti), daughter of Dharma[4]
- Śiṣta, son of Dhruva and Dhanya[4]
- Ripuñjaya, Kripa, Vrita, Vrika and Vrikatejasa were five sons of Shista and Succhaya, daughter of Agni[4]
- Cakṣu, son of Ripuñjaya and Virini[4]
- 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:
- Brahma
- Marichi, one of the 10 Prajapatis created by Brahma.
- Kashyapa, son of Marichi and Kala. Kashyapa is regarded as the father of humanity.
- Vivasvan or Surya, son of Kashyapa and Aditi.
- Vaivasvata Manu, originally Satyavrata, son of Vivasvan and Saṃjñā.
- 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
- ^ Mahabharata Book 1:Adi Parva:Sambhava Parva:Section LXXV
- ^ 14 Manu-s of 14 Manu-antara-s
- ^ Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) 8.13.1
- ^ a b c d e f g Matsya Purana, Ch.IV, 24-42
- ^ Misra, V.S. (2007). Ancient Indian Dynasties, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-413-8, p.48
- ^ a b c Matsya Purana
- ^ a b c d Bhagavata Purana 8.24.12
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/442/1/The-Matsya-Purana/Page1.html
- ^ Matsya Purana, Ch.I, 10-33
- ^ Matsya Purana, Ch.II, 1-19
- ^ 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
