Chapter 18 - Genealogy of Svāyambhuva Manu

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Note: An epithet of the first Manu was Svāyambhuva Manu, as he was a son of Brahmā.]

Agni said:

1. Śatarūpā of ascetic disposition (becoming) desirous gave birth to two sons Priyavrata and Uttānapāda and a beautiful daughter^[1] from Svāyambhuva Manu.

2-3 From (Devahūti) the wife of Kardama, (were born) (two daughters) Samrāṭ and Kukṣi.

Uttama was born as the son of Uttānapāda through Suruci. And Dhruva^[2] was born as the son (of Uttānapāda) through Sunīti. O Sage! Dhruva did penance for three thousand celestial years for gaining fame.

4. Becoming pleased (with him) Hari conferred on him a firm position^[3] above the sages. Having seen his progress Uśanas^[4] recited the (following) verse:

5. O what a strength his penance had! How well-heard of! What a wonderful thing that the seven sages^[5] are situated, placing Dhruva in front of them.

6-7. Śambhu gave birth to Śiṣṭi and Bhavya from Dhruva. Succhāyā bore five blemishless sons from Śiṣṭi, (namely), Ripu, Ripuñjaya, Ripra, Vṛkala, Vṛkatejasa. Bṛhatī bore the brilliant Cākṣuṣa from Ripu.

8. Cākṣuṣa begot Manu through Puṣkariṇī (also known as Vīriṇī) (daughter ofVīraṇa Prajāpati). Ten excellent sons were born to Manu through Naḍvalā.

9. (They were) Ūru,^[6] Puru, Śatadyumna, Tapasvin, Satyavāk,^[7] Kavi^[8], Agniṣṭu^[9], Atirātra, Sudyumna, and Abhimanyu.

10. Āgneyī bore six great sons to Ūru—Aṅga, Sumanas, Khyāti, Kratu, Aṅgīras, (and) Gaya^[10].

11. Sunīthā bore only Vena^[11] from Aṅga. He, who was not a protector, and was delighted in doing sins was killed by the sages with their kuśa grass.

12. Then for the sake of progeny, the sages churned his. right hand. When the hand of Veṇa was churned King Pṛthu came into being.

13. Having seen him, the sages said, “This person will make the subjects happy and will attain great valour and fame.

14. He was born with a bow and an armour as if consuming (everything) by his lustre. Pṛthu, the son of Vena, the predecessor of the kṣatriyas, protected the subjects.

15. That lord of the earth is the first among those coronated. after the Rājasūya (sacrifice). From that (ceremony) were born the clever (singers) sūta and māgadha.

16-1 7. The two heroes praised him. He became a king by pleasing the people. For the sake of (getting) grains and for the existence of the subjects, the cow (earth) was milked by him along with the celestials, sages, gandharvas, nymphs, manes, demons, snakes, plants, mountains and people.

18. The earth being milked in their respective vessels gave milk as much as (they) wished. (All) sustained their lives with that.

19. Antardhāna and Pālita^[12], the two righteous sons were born to Pṛthu. From Antardhāna, Sikhaṇḍinī begot Havirdhāna.

20. Dhiṣaṇā, of the family of Agni gave birth to the six sons—Prācīnabarhiṣ, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa, Vraja and Ajina from Havirdhāna.

21. (He was known as Prācīnabarhis) because the kuśa grass were facing the east as he was praying on the earth.^[13] The lord Prācīnabarhis was a great progenitor.

22. Savarṇā, the daughter of Samudra (the lord of the ocean) bore ten Prācīnabarhis. All of them were known as Pracetas and were proficient in archery.

23. Practising the same religious austerities, they all did severe penance, remaining in the waters of the ocean for ten thousand years.

24. Having got the status of a progenitor and pleased Viṣṇu, they came out (of waters) (and found) that the earth and the sky were overspread with trees. They burnt them down.

25. Beholding the destruction of trees _by the fire and wind produced from their mouths, Soma, the king (of plants) approached these progenitors and said:

26-27. “Renounce (your) anger, I will get you this most excellent maiden Māriṣā, (born to) (the nymph) Pramlocā and the ascetic sage Kaṇḍu (who was nourished) by me. Having known the future (I have) created (her). Let (she) be your wife, capable of multiplying the family. Dakṣa will be born to her who will multiply progeny.”

28-30. The Pracetas married her and Dakṣa was born through her. That Dakṣa, having mentally created the immovables, movables, hi-footed beings and the quadrupeds, then created the (sixty) daughters (of whom) he gave^[14] ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, twenty-seven to Soma, four to Ariṣṭanemin, two to Bahuputra, two to Aṅgiras.

31. By mental intercourse the celestials, serpents and others (were born) to them in the past. I shall describe (you) the creation of Dharma through his ten wives.

32. The Viśvedevas (were born) to Viśvā, Sādhyā gave birth to the Sādhyas. The Maruts came into being from the Marut and the Vasus from Vasu.

33. The Bhānus (were) the sons of Bhānu and the Muhūrtas (were born) to Muhūrtā. Ghoṣa (was born) to Dharma through Lambā. Nāgavīthī was born of Yāmī.

34. All that belonged to the earth were born of Arundhati. Saṅkalpā (was born) from Saṅkalpā. The stars were the sons of moon.

35. The eight Vasus^[15] are known by the names—Āpa, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara^[16], Anila, Anala, Pratyūṣa and Prabhāsa.

36. Vaitaṇḍya, Śrama, Śānta, and Muni^[17] (were) the sons of Āpa. Kāla, the destroyer of the Universe (was the son) of Dhruva. Varcā was the son of Soma.

37. Dhara had the sons Draviṇa, Hutahavyavāha, Śiśira, Prāṇa and Ramaṇa through Manoharā.

38. Purojava^[18] was (the son) of Anila and Avijñāta of Anala. Kumāra, the son of Agni, was born in a clump of reeds.

39. Śākha, Viśākha and Naigameya were his younger brothers. (He was known as) Kārttikeya (as he was the son) of Kṛttikā. (He is also known as) the ascetic Sanatkumāra.

40. Devala was born from Pratyūṣa. Viśvakarman (was born) from Prabhā, and was the architect of thousands of sculptures and the architect of celestials.

41. Men earn their livelihood by this art of architecture and of (making) ornaments. Surabhi begot eleven Rudras^[19] from Kaśyapa.

42. O Most pious man! By the favour of Mahādeva (Śiva) (who was) thought of (by her) in her ascetic observances. Satī gave birth to Ajaikapād, Ahirbudhnya, Tvaṣṭṛ and Rudra.

43-44. Viśvarūpa, the great illustrious and fortunate (was) the son of Tvaṣṭṛ. Hara, Bahurūpa, Tryambaka, Aparājita, Vṛṣākapi, Śambhu, Kapardin, Raivata, Mṛgavyādha, Sarpa and Kapālin were the eleven forms by which the entire world, both movable and immovable were pervaded by hundreds and thousands of Rudras.^[20]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Bhāg. P. specifies the name of the daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu as Devahūti and describes in detail her marriage with Kardama. See ibid. III. xxi-xxii.

[2]:

For a detailed account of the story of Dhruva see Vi.P. I. Chs. 11-12.

[3]:

The young boy Dhruva was one day contemptuously treated by his step-mother as he tried to sit on his father’s lap. On the advice of his mother be retired to the forest and did penance steadfastly devoted to Viṣṇu. At last he was raised to the status of a pole-star. See Vi. P. I. xi-xii.

[4]:

Uśanas also known as Śukrācārya or Kāvya was the preceptor of Asuras.

[5]:

The seven sages are Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasiṣṭha.

[6]:

Kuni, see Vi. P. I. xiii.5.

[7]:

Satyavat, see ibid.

[8]:

Śuci, see ibid.

[9]:

Agniṣṭoma, see ibid.

[10]:

Śibi, see Vi. P. I. xiii. 7.

[11]:

Vena born to Sunīthā, the daughter of Mṛtyu was of wicked nature since childhood. When he became the king he proclaimed himself as the lord of sacrifices and did not allow sages to propitiate Viṣṇu by doing sacrifices. Their entreaties being of no avail they killed him by employing kuśa grass purified by the chant of mystic syllables. Vi.P. I. xiii. 11ff.

[12]:

Vādi, see Vi.P. L xiv. I

[13]:

i.e., the sacrifices were performed all over the earth.

[14]:

For a detailed account see Vi.P. I. xv. 103b ff.

[15]:

Vasus are a class of semi-divine beings.

[16]:

Dharma, see Vi.P. I.xv. Il1 a.

[17]:

Dhvani, see Vi.P. I. xv. 112a.

[18]:

Manojava, see Vi.P. I. xv. 114b.

[19]:

Following the Brahmāṇḍa P. narration, Rudras are given here as sons of Surabhi and Kaśyapa.

[20]:

The names of Eleven Rudras are not the same in the enumerations in different Purāṇas. On the Eleven Rudras see Annals of Ori. Res. XXIV. Pt. II