{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/vp/vp075.htm","path":"hin/vp/vp075.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp075.htm","text":"The Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840]\nAccount of the several Manus and Manwantaras. Sw\u00e1rochisha the second Manu: the divinities, the Indra, the seven Rishis of his period, and his sons. Similar details of Auttami, T\u00e1masa, Raivata, Ch\u00e1kshusha, and Vaivaswata. The forms of Vish\u0144u, as the preserver, in each Manwantara. The meaning of Vish\u0144u.\nMAITREYA.--The disposition of the earth and of the ocean, and the system of the sun and the planets, the creation of the gods and the rest, the origin of the Rishis, the generation of the four castes, the production of brute creatures, and the narratives of Dhruva and Prahl\u00e1da, have been fully related by thee, my venerable preceptor. I am now desirous to hear from you the series of all the Manwantaras, as well as an account of those who preside over the respective periods, with \u015aakra, the king of the gods, at their head.\nPAR\u00c1\u015aARA.--I will repeat to you, Maitreya, in their order, the different Manwantaras; those which are past, and those which are to come.\nThe first Manu was Sw\u00e1yambhuva, then came Sw\u00e1rochisha, then Auttami, then T\u00e1masa, then Raivata, then Ch\u00e1kshusha: these six Manus have passed away. The Manu who presides over the seventh Manwantara, which is the present period, is Vaivaswata, the son of the sun.\nThe period of Sw\u00e1yambhuva Manu, in the beginning of the Kalpa, has already been described by me, together with the gods, Rishis, and other personages, who then flourished 1. I will now, therefore, enumerate\nthe presiding gods, Rishis, and sons of the Manu, in the Manwantara of Sw\u00e1rochisha 2. The deities of this period (or the second Manwantara) were the classes called P\u00e1r\u00e1vatas and Tushitas 3; and the king of the gods was the mighty Vipa\u015bchit. The seven Rishis 4 were \u00darja, Stambha,\n[paragraph continues] Pr\u00e1\u0144a, Dattoli, Rishabha, Ni\u015bchara, and Arvar\u00edvat; and Chaitra, Kimpurusha, and others, were the Manu's sons 5.\nIn the third period, or Manwantara of Auttami 6, Su\u015b\u00e1nti was the Indra, the king of the gods; the orders of whom were the Sudh\u00e1mas, Satyas, \u015aivas, Pradar\u015banas, and Vasavertis 7; each of the five orders consisting of twelve divinities. The seven sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha were the seven Rishis 8; and Aja, Para\u015bu, Divya, and others, were the sons of the Manu 9.\nThe Sur\u00fapas, Haris, Satyas, and \u015audh\u00eds 10 were the classes of gods, each comprising twenty-seven, in the period of T\u00e1masa, the fourth Manu 11. \u015aivi was the Indra, also designated by his performance of a hundred sacrifices (or named \u015aatakratu). The seven Rishis were Jyotirdh\u00e1m\u00e1, Prithu, K\u00e1vya, Chaitra, Agni, Vanaka, and Pivara 12. The sons of T\u00e1masa were the mighty kings Nara, Khy\u00e1ti, \u015a\u00e1ntahaya, J\u00e1nujangha, and others 13.\nIn the fifth interval the Manu was Raivata 14: the Indra was Vibhu: the classes of gods, consisting of fourteen each, were the Amit\u00e1bhas, Abh\u00fatarajasas, Vaikunthas, and Sumedhasas 15: the seven Rishis were\n[paragraph continues] Hira\u0144yarom\u00e1, Vedasr\u00ed, Urddhab\u00e1hu, Vedab\u00e1hu, Sudh\u00e1man, Parjanya, and Mah\u00e1muni 16: the sons of Raivata were Balabandhu, Susambh\u00e1vya, Satyaka, and other valiant kings.\nThese four Manus, Sw\u00e1rochisha, Auttam\u00ed, T\u00e1masa, and Raivata, were all descended from Priyavrata, who, in consequence of propitiating Vish\u0144u by his devotions, obtained these rulers of the Manwantaras for his posterity.\nCh\u00e1kshusha was the Manu of the sixth period 17: in which the Indra was Manojava: the five classes of gods were the \u00c1dyas, Prast\u00fatas, Bhavyas, Prithugas, and the magnanimous Lekhas, eight of each 18: Sumedhas, Virajas, Havishmat, Uttama, Madhu, Abhin\u00e1man, and Sahish\u0144u were the seven sages 19: the kings of the earth, the sons of Ch\u00e1kshusha, were the powerful Uru, Puru, \u015aatadyumna, and others.\nThe Manu of the present period is the wise lord of obsequies, the illustrious offspring of the sun: the deities are the \u00c1dityas, Vasus, and Rudras; their sovereign is Purandara: Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, Ka\u015byapa, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama, Vi\u015bw\u00e1mitra, and Bharadw\u00e1ja are the seven Rishis: and the nine pious sons of Vaivaswata Manu are the kings Ikshw\u00e1ku, Nabhaga, Dhrisht\u0301a, Sany\u00e1ti, Narishyanta, N\u00e1bhanidisht\u0301a, Karusha, Prishadhra, and the celebrated Vasumat 20.\nThe unequalled energy of Vish\u0144u combining with the quality of goodness, and effecting the preservation of created things, presides over all the Manwantaras in the form of a divinity. Of a portion of that divinity Yajna was born in the Sw\u00e1yambhuva Manwantara, the will-begotten progeny of \u00c1k\u00fat\u00ed 21. When the Sw\u00e1rochisha Manwantara had arrived, that divine Yajna was born as Ajita, along with the Tushita gods, the sons of Tushit\u00e1. In the third Manwantara, Tushita was again born of Saty\u00e1, as Satya, along with the class of deities so denominated. In the next period, Satya became Hari, along with the Haris, the\nchildren of Har\u00ed. The excellent Hari was again born in the Raivata Manwantara, of Sambh\u00fati, as M\u00e1nasa, along with the gods called Abh\u00fatarajasas. In the next period, Vish\u0144u was born of Vikunthi, as Vaikuntha, along with the deities called Vaikunthas. In the present Manwantara, Vish\u0144u was again born as V\u00e1mana, the son of Ka\u015byapa by Adit\u00ed. With three paces he subdued the worlds, and gave them, freed from all embarrassment, to Purandara 22. These are the seven persons by whom, in the several Manwantaras, created beings have been protected. Because this whole world has been pervaded by the energy of the deity, he is entitled Vish\u0144u, from the root Vis, 'to enter' or 'pervade;' for all the gods, the Manus, the seven Rishis, the sons of the Manus, the Indras the sovereigns of the gods, all are but the impersonated might of Vish\u0144u 23.\n259:1 The gods were said to be the Y\u00e1mas (p. 54); the Rishis were Mar\u00edchi, Angiras, &c. (p. 49. n. 2); and the sons were Priyavrata and Utt\u00e1nap\u00e1da (p. 53). The V\u00e1yu adds to the Yamas, the Ajitas, who share with the former, it observes, sacrificial p. 260 offerings. The Matsya, Padma, Br\u00e1hma P. and Hari Van\u015ba substitute for the sons, the grandsons of Sw\u00e1yambhuva, Agn\u00eddhra and the rest (p. 162).\n260:2 This Manu, according to the legend of his birth in the M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya P., was the son of Swarochish, so named from the splendour of his appearance when born, and who was the son of the nymph Varuthin\u00ed by the Gandharba Kali. The text, in another place, makes him a son of Priyavrata.\n260:3 The V\u00e1yu gives the names of the individuals of these two classes, consisting each of twelve. It furnishes also the nomenclature of all the classes of divinities, and of the sons of the Manus in each Manwantara. According to the same authority, the Tushitas were the sons of Kratu: the Bh\u00e1gavata calls them the sons of Tushit\u00e1 by Veda\u015biras. The divinities of each period are, according to the V\u00e1yu, those to whom offerings of the Soma juice and the like are presented collectively.\n260:4 The V\u00e1yu describes the Rishis of each Manwantara as the sons, or in some cases the descendants in a direct line, of the seven sages, Atri, Angiras, Bhrigu, Ka\u015byapa, Pulaha, Pulastya, and Va\u015bisht\u0301ha; with some inconsistency, for Ka\u015byapa, at least, did not appear himself until the seventh, Manwantara. In the present series \u00darja is the son of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, Stambha springs from Ka\u015byapa, Pr\u00e1\u0144a from Bhrigu, Dattoli is the son of Pulastya, Rishabha descends from Angiras, Ni\u015bchara from Atri, and Arvar\u00edvat is the son of Pulaha. The Br\u00e1hma P. and Hari Van\u015ba have a rather different list, or Aurva, Stambha, Ka\u015byapa, Pr\u00e1\u0144a, Vrihaspati, Chyavana, and Dattoli; but the origin of part of this difference is nothing more than an imperfect quotation from the V\u00e1yu Pur\u00e1\u0144a; the two first, Aurva and Stambha, being specified as the son of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha and the descendant of Ka\u015byapa, and then the parentage of the rest being omitted: to complete the seven, therefore, Ka\u015byapa becomes one of them. Some other errors of this nature occur in these two works, and from the same cause, a blundering citation of the V\u00e1yu, which is named as their authority. A curious peculiarity also occurs in these mistakes. They are confined to the first eight Manwantaras. The Br\u00e1hma P. omits all details of the last six, and the Hari Van\u015ba inserts them fully and correctly, agreeably to the authority of the V\u00e1yu. It looks, therefore, as if the compiler of the Hari Van\u015ba had followed the Br\u00e1hma, as far as it went, right or wrong; but had had recourse to the original V\u00e1yu P. when the Br\u00e1hma failed him. Dattoli is sometimes written Dattoni and Dattotri; and the latter appears to have been the case with the copy of the Hari Van\u015ba employed by M. Langlois, who makes one of the Rishis of this Manwantara, \"le penitent Atri.\" He is not without countenance in some such reading, for the Padma P. changes the name to Datt\u00e1treya, no doubt suggested by Datta-atri. p. 261 Datt\u00e1treya, however, is the son of Atri; whilst the V\u00e1yu calls the person of the text the son of Pulastya. There can be no doubt therefore of the correct reading, for the son of Pulastya is Dattoli. (p. 83.)\n261:5 The V\u00e1yu agrees with the text in these names, adding seven others. The Bh\u00e1gavata has a different series. The Padma has four other names, Nabha, Nabhasya, Prasriti, Bhavana. The Br\u00e1hma has ten names, including two of these, and several of the names of the Rishis of the tenth Manwantara. The Matsya has the four names of the Padma for the sons of the Manu, and gives seven others, Hav\u00edndhra, Sukrita, M\u00fartti, Apas, Jyotir, Aya, Smrita (the names of the Br\u00e1hma), as the seven Praj\u00e1patis of this period, and sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha. The sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, however, belong to the third Manwantara, and bear different appellations. There is, no doubt, some blundering here in all the books except the V\u00e1yu, and those which agree with it.\n261:6 The name occurs Auttami, Auttama, and Uttama. The Bh\u00e1gavata and V\u00e1yu agree with our text (p. 263) in making him a descendant from Priyavrata. The M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya calls him the son of Uttama, the son of Utt\u00e1nap\u00e1da: and this appears to be the correct genealogy, both from our text and the Bh\u00e1gavata.\n261:7 The Br\u00e1hma and Hari Van\u015ba have, in place of these, the Bh\u00e1nus; but the V\u00e1yu and M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya concur with the text.\n261:8 All the authorities agree in this; but the Br\u00e1hma and Hari Van\u015ba appear to furnish a different series also; or even a third, according to the French translation: 'Dans le troisi\u00e8me Manwantara parurent comme Saptarchis les fils de Vasichtha, de son nom appel\u00e9s V\u00e2sichthas, les fils de Hiranyagarbha et les illustres enfans d\u2019Ourdja.' The text is, ### &c. The meaning of which is, 'There were (in the first Manwantara) seven celebrated sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, who (in the third Manwantara) were sons of Brahm\u00e1 (i. e. Rishis), the illustrious posterity of Urjj\u00e1. We have already seen that Urjj\u00e1 was the wife of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, by whom she had seven sons, Rajas,' &c. (see p. 83), in the Sw\u00e1yambhuva Manwantara; and these were born again as the Rishis of the third period. The names of these persons, according to the Matsya and Padma, are however very different from those of the sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, given p. 83, or Kaukundihi, Kurundi, Dalaya, \u015aankha, Prav\u00e1hita, Mita, and Sammita.\n261:9 The V\u00e1yu adds ten other names to those of the text. The Br\u00e1hma gives ten p. 262 altogether different. The Bh\u00e1gavata an Padma have each a separate nomenclature.\n262:10 Of these, the Br\u00e1hma and Hari V notice only the Satyas: the Matsya and Padma have only S\u00e1dhyas. The V\u00e1yu Bh\u00e1gavata, K\u00farma, and M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya agree with the text.\n262:11 He is the son of Priyavrata, according to the text, the V\u00e1yu, &c. The M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya has a legend of his birth by a doe; and from his being begotten in dark, tempestuous weather, he derives his name.\n262:12 Severally, according to the V\u00e1yu, the progeny of Bhrigu, Ka\u015byapa, Angiras, Pulastya, Atri, Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, and Pulaha. There is considerable variety in some of the names. Thus the Matsya has Kavi, Prithu, Agni, Salpa, Dh\u00edmat, Kapi, Akapi. The Hari Van\u015ba has K\u00e1vya, Prithu, Agni, Jahnu, Dh\u00e1tri, Kapivat, Akapivat. For the two last the V\u00e1yu reads G\u00e1tra and Vanap\u00edtha. The son of Pulaha is in his place (p. 83. n. 6), Arvar\u00edvat or Vanakap\u00edvat. G\u00e1tra is amongst the sons of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha (p. 83). The V\u00e1yu is therefore probably most correct, although our text, in regard to these two denominations, admits of no doubt.\n262:13 The V\u00e1yu, &c. agree with the text; the V\u00e1yu naming eleven. The Br\u00e1hma, Matsya, and Padma have a series of ten names, Sutapas, Tapom\u00fala, &c.; of which, seven are the Rishis of the twelfth Manwantara.\n262:14 Raivata, as well as his three predecessors, is regarded usually as a descendant of Priyavrata. The M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya has a long legend of his birth, as the son of king Durgama by the nymph Revat\u00ed, sprung from the constellation Revat\u00ed, whom Ritav\u00e1ch, a Muni, caused to fall from heaven. Her radiance became a lake on mount Kumuda, thence called Raivataka; and from it appeared the damsel, who was brought up by Pramucha Muni. Upon the marriage of Revat\u00ed, the Muni, at her request, restored the asterism to its place in the skies.\n262:15 The Br\u00e1hma inserts of these only the Abh\u00fatarajasas, with the remark, that 'they were of like nature (with their name):' i. e. they were exempt from the quality of passion. M. Langlois, in rendering the parallel passage of the Hari Van\u015ba, has confounded the epithet and the subject: 'dont les dieux furent les Pracritis, d\u00e9pourvu de p. 263 colere et de passion.' He is also at a loss what to do with the terms P\u00e1riplava and Raibhya, in the following passage; ### asking, 'qu\u2019est ce que P\u00e1riplava? qu\u2019est ce que R\u00eabhya?' If he had had the commentary at hand, these questions would have been unnecessary: they are there said to be two classes of divinities.\n263:16 There is less variety in these names than usual. Vedab\u00e1hu is read Devab\u00e1hu; Sudh\u00e1man, Satyanetra; and Mah\u00e1muni, Muni, Yajur, V\u00e1\u015bisht\u0301ha, and Yadudhra. According to the V\u00e1yu, those of the text are respectively of the lineage of Angiras, Bhrigu, Va\u015bisht\u0301ha, Pulastya, Atri, Pulaha, and Ka\u015byapa. There is considerable variety in the names of the Manu's sons.\n263:17 Ch\u00e1kshusha, according to the best authorities, descended from Dhruva (see p. 98); but the M\u00e1rka\u0144d\u0301eya has a legend of his birth as the son of a Kshatriya, named Anamitra; of his being exchanged at his birth for the son of Vi\u015br\u00e1nta R\u00e1j\u00e1, and being brought up by the prince as his own; of his revealing the business when a man, and propitiating Brahm\u00e1 by his devotions; in consequence of which he became a Manu. In his former birth he was born from the eye of Brahm\u00e1; whence his name, from Chakshush, 'the eye.'\n263:18 The authorities agree as to the number, but differ as to the names; reading for \u00c1dyas, \u00c1ry\u00e1s and \u00c1pyas; for Prast\u00fatas, Prabh\u00fatas and Pras\u00fatas; for Prithugas, Prithukas and Prithusas; and, which is a more wide deviation, Ribhus for Bhavyas. M. Langlois omits the Pras\u00fatas, and inserts Divaukasas; but the latter, meaning 'divinities,' is only an epithet. The Hari Van\u015ba has, ###---. The comment adds, ###.\n263:19 The V\u00e1yu reads Sudh\u00e1man for the first name; Unnata for Uttama; and Abhim\u00e1na for Abhin\u00e1man. The latter occurs also Abhin\u00e1min (Matsya) and Atin\u00e1man (Hari V.) The latter reads, no doubt incorrectly, Bhrigu, Nabha, and p. 264 Vivaswat for Uttama, Madhu, and Havishmat. The sons of Ch\u00e1kshusha are enumerated, p. 98.\n264:20 There is no great variety of nomenclature in this Manwantara. The V\u00e1yu adds to the deities the S\u00e1dhyas, Vi\u015bwas, Maruts, and gods sprung from Bhrigu and Angiras. The Bh\u00e1gavata adds the Ribhus: and most include the two \u00c1swins as a class. Of the Maruts, however, the Hari Van\u015ba remarks that they are born in every Manwantara, seven times seven (or forty-nine); that in each Manwantara four times seven, or twenty-eight, obtain emancipation, but their places are filled up by persons reborn in that character. So the commentator explains the passages ### and ### &c. ### Comment. ### Comment. It may be suspected, however, that these passages have been derived from the simple statement of the Matsya, that in all the Manwantaras classes of Rishis appear by seven and seven, and having established a code of law and morality, depart to felicity. The V\u00e1yu has a rather different list of the seven Rishis; or Vasumat, the son of Va\u015bisht\u0301ha; Vats\u00e1ra, descended from Ka\u015byapa; Vi\u015bw\u00e1mitra, the son of G\u00e1dhi, and of the Ku\u015bika race; Jamadagni, son of Kuru, of the race of Bhrigu; Bharadw\u00e1ja, son of Vrihaspati; \u015aaradwat, son of Gautama, of the family of Utatthya; and Brahmakosha or Atri, descended from Brahm\u00e1. All the other authorities agree with our text.\n264:21 The nominal father being the patriarch Ruchi. (See p. 54.)\n265:22 There is no further account of this incarnation in the Vish\u0144u Pur\u00e1\u0144a. Fuller details occur in the Bh\u00e1gavata, K\u00farma, Matsya, and V\u00e1mana Pur\u00e1\u0144as. The first of these (b. VIII. c. 15-23) relates the penance and sacrifices of Bali, son of Virochana, by which he had overcome Indra and the gods, and obtained supreme dominion over the three spheres. Vish\u0144u, at the request of the deities, was born as a dwarf, V\u00e1mana, the son of Adit\u00ed by Ka\u015byapa; who, applying to Bali for alms, was promised by the prince whatever he might demand, notwithstanding \u015aukra, the preceptor of the Daityas, apprised him whom he had to deal with. The dwarf demanded as much space as he could step over at three steps; and upon the assent of Bali, enlarged himself to such dimensions as to stride over the three worlds. Being worshipped however by Bali and his ancestor Prahl\u00e1da, he conceded to them the sovereignty of P\u00e1t\u00e1la.\n265:23 See the same etymology, p. 3. n. 7.","title":"The Vishnu Purana: Book III: Chapter I","type":"page"}