Manu Carita

Svāyambhuva Manu and his wife Śatarūpā are the first parents of the human race. In the Bāla Kāṇḍa of the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Śiva tells Pārvatī how this couple did tapas (austerity) for thousands of years on the bank of the Gomatī river in Naimiśāraṇya. They had one wish: that Bhagavān Vishṇu himself be born as their son. Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared before them and promised to be born in their line at Ayodhyā. This promise is one of the causes of the Rāmāvatāra (the coming of Bhagavān Rāma as an avatāra).

The first parents

Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā are the root ancestors of humanity. They had two sons, Uttānapāda and Priyavrata, and a daughter named Devahūti. Devahūti became the wife of the great ṛshi Kardama. From them was born Kapila, the founder of the Sāṃkhya śāstra, who became famous throughout the world.

The tapas

When old age came, Svāyambhuva Manu made his elder son king. Then he set out with Śatarūpā for the tapas-bhūmi (the land of austerity), the holy bank of the Gomatī in the Naimiśāraṇya region.

There the old couple, who stand to the human world as Bhavānī and Śaṅkara stand to the order of the cosmos, gave up sleep and food completely. Night and day, without a break, they repeated the dvādaśāksharī mantra, the twelve-syllable mantra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. They did this through thousands upon thousands of years of fierce tapas.

Bhagavān Vishṇu is wholly in the power of his bhaktas (devotees). He was moved by the tapas of this pious couple, and he appeared before them.

The vision of Bhagavān Vishṇu

Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā saw his holy and auspicious form (maṅgala-svarūpa). His jewelled crown shone like the morning sun. He wore golden earrings and the Vaijayantī garland across his chest. His body was dark like a blue rain-cloud and he wore the pītāmbara (yellow silk cloth). Mahālakshmī stood at his side. His four arms held the śaṅkha (conch), cakra (discus), gadā (mace) and padma (lotus). His form put ten million Kāmadevas to shame.

The couple gazed at this manojña-mūrti (heart-stealing form) and their eyes could never have enough. Tears of ānanda (joy) flowed and their bodies thrilled with divine happiness.

They fell at his lotus feet and prayed: “O bhakta-kalpadruma (wish-tree of your devotees)! O jagad-bāndhava (friend of the world)! O ocean of mercy! Your darśana (sight) has made our tapas bear fruit and has carried our lives across the ocean of saṃsāra. O dīna-bandhu (friend of the poor)! We have one wish, though our lips are slow to speak it. We wish for a son like you. Grant us this wish.”

The vara granted

Bhagavān Vishṇu was filled with joy at the purity of their longing. He answered: “Mahātmās, so it will be. Your wish will be fulfilled. For now, go to Indra’s city and live there in happiness for a time. In due course I myself will be born in Ayodhyā in your line.”

With this promise, Bhagavān Vishṇu of Vaikuṇṭha said that he would be born as the son of these two, who would come again as Kausalyā and Daśaratha. Then he blessed them and withdrew.

This promise is one of the causes of the Rāmāvatāra. Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā were born in a later yuga as Kausalyā and Daśaratha. Bhagavān Vishṇu, who had promised to come as their son, was born in Ayodhyā as Rāmacandra.

Sources

• Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Manu Carita