| Vaivasvata Manu | |
|---|---|
 Matsya helps Vaivasvata Manu and theSeven Sages escape from the divine deluge | |
| Predecessor | Chakshusha Manu |
| Successor | Savarni Manu |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Spouse | Shraddha |
| Children | Ikshvaku, Dhrishta, Narishyanta, Dishta, Nriga, Karusha, Saryati, Nabhaga, Pranshu, Prisadhra[1] Ila[2] |
Vaivasvata Manu (Sanskrit:वैवस्वत मनु), also referred to asShraddhadeva andSatyavrata, is the currentManu—the progenitor of the human race. He is the seventh of the 14 Manus of the currentkalpa (aeon) ofHindu cosmology. In theJain religion he is also known asNabhiraja, the father ofRishabhanatha and the lastKulakara.
He is the son ofVivasvan (also known as Surya), the Sun god, and his wifeSaranyu. Forewarned about the divine flood by theMatsyaavatara ofVishnu, Manu saved mankind by building a boat that carried his family and theSaptarishi to safety.[3] He was one of the wielders ofAsi the primordial sword.
According to the Puranas, the genealogy of Shraddhadeva is as follows:[4]
Shraddhadeva is stated to be the king of theDravida kingdom during the epoch of theMatsya Purana.[5] According to theMatsya Purana,Matsya, theavatara ofVishnu, first appeared as ashaphari (a smallcarp) to Shraddhadeva while he washed his hands in a river flowing down theMalaya Mountains.[6]
The little fish asked the king to save him, and out of compassion, he put it in a water jar. It kept growing bigger and bigger, until the king first put it in a bigger pitcher, and then deposited it in a well. When the well also proved insufficient for the ever-growing fish, the king placed it in a tank (reservoir), that was two yojanas (16 miles) in height above the surface and on land, as much in length, and a yojana (8 miles) in breadth.[7][8] As it grew further, the king had to put the fish in a river, and when even the river proved insufficient, he placed it in the ocean, after which it nearly filled the vast expanse of the great ocean.
It was then that Vishnu, revealing himself, informed the king of an all-destructive deluge which would be coming very soon.[9][10][11] The king built a huge boat which housed his family, saptarishi, nine types of seeds, and animals to repopulate the earth, after the deluge would end and the oceans and seas would recede. At the time of deluge, Vishnu appeared as a horned fish andShesha appeared as a rope, with which the king fastened the boat to the horn of the fish.[12]
The boat was perched after the deluge on the top of the highest peak of Himavat called Naubandhana.[13][14] After the deluge, Manu's family and the seven sages repopulated the earth. According to the Puranas, Manu's story occurs before the 28 chaturyugas in the present Manvantara which is the 7th Manvantara. This amounts to 120 million years ago.[15][16][17]
This narrative is similar to otherflood myths like theGilgamesh flood myth and theGenesis flood narrative.[18]
Shraddhadeva married Shraddha and had ten children includingIla andIkshvaku, the progenitors of theLunar andSolar dynasties, respectively.[19]
TheMahabharata states:[20][21]
And Manu was endowed 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 calledManavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, and others have been descended, and are therefore all called Manavas. Subsequently, the Brahmanas became united with the Kshatriyas. And those sons of Manu that were Brahmanas devoted themselves to the study of the Vedas. And Manu begot ten other children namedIkshvaku, Dhrishta, Narishyanta, Dishta, Nriga, Karusha, Saryati, Nabhaga, Pranshu, Prisadhra and a daughterIla. They all betook themselves to the practices of Kshatriyas (warriors). Besides these, Manu had fifty other sons on Earth. But we heard that they all perished, quarrelling with one another.[22]
InTheosophy, the "Vaivasvata Manu" is one of the most important beings at the highest level of Initiation of the ancient Vedic sages, along withMaitreya, and the Maha Chohan. According to Theosophy, eachroot race has its own Manu who physicallyincarnates in an advanced body of an individual of the old root race and physically progenerates with a suitable female partner the first individuals of the new root race.
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)