Raucya Manvantara

The Raucya Manvantara is the account of how the Prajāpati named Ruci, originally a wandering ascetic devoted to renunciation, was guided by his own Pitṛ-deva-s and by Brahmā to accept the path of gṛhastha-dharma. Through their instruction, his subsequent tapas, and his devoted hymn to the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s, Ruci obtained a wife and fathered a son who would become the Manu of an entire manvantara. This narrative, as recounted by Mārkaṇḍeya, documents the events surrounding the birth of Raucya Manu and preserves the sacred hymn through which the Pitṛ-deva-s may be worshipped.

The Wandering Life of Ruci and the Arrival of the Pitṛ-deva-s

In ancient times, the Prajāpati known as Ruci lived a life of complete renunciation. Free from attachment and ego, he wandered across the earth with no fixed dwelling, no sacred fire, and no companions. He ate only once a day, slept wherever the sun happened to set, and observed the strict discipline of a muni-vrata. He had abandoned all worldly associations and sought nothing from the material world.

Seeing their son living in this manner, the Pitṛ-deva-s of Ruci appeared before him and addressed him directly. They told him that he had failed to perform the most sacred of acts, which is marriage. They declared that marriage is the cause of both svarga and mukti, and that without it, all other pursuits become bonds rather than paths to freedom. They explained that a gṛhastha who properly honors the deva-s, the Pitṛs, the ṛṣi-s, and guests through the appropriate rituals enjoys the higher worlds. A householder who serves the deva-s by uttering svāhā, satisfies the Pitṛs by uttering svadhā, and feeds guests through anna-dāna is one who has cleared the three ṛṇa-s. They warned Ruci that every day he was accumulating the bonds of deva-ṛṇa, ṛṣi-ṛṇa, pitṛ-ṛṇa, manuṣya-ṛṇa, and bhūta-ṛṇa by neglecting these duties.

The Pitṛ-deva-s continued with a stern admonition. Without obtaining sons, without performing tarpaṇa to the Pitṛs, and without carrying out the karma-s meant for the welfare of bhūta-s, how could Ruci hope to attain an excellent state through mere foolishness? They told him plainly that they believed he would experience sorrow even in this very life, and that just as a dead person experiences naraka, he would face many afflictions in future births as well.

Ruci’s Defense of Renunciation

Ruci responded to his Pitṛ-deva-s with his own reasoning. He declared that marriage is a source of sorrow and also a cause of sin, and that it leads to a downfall. This was precisely the reason he had never married. He maintained that self-restraint, which involves the subduing of the senses, is the true cause of mukti, and that marriage is not a path toward liberation.

He spoke further, saying that the truly excellent person is one who, being without possessions, cleanses the ātmā every day. The ātmā, he said, is smeared with the mud of attachment, and the wise person washes it with the water of the citta. He declared it the duty of those with restrained senses to wash the ātmā, which is immersed in the mud of karma accumulated over many births, with the water called sadvāsanā.

The Pitṛ-deva-s Explain the True Nature of Karma-mārga

The Pitṛ-deva-s acknowledged that cleansing the ātmā is indeed the duty of those with restrained senses, but they questioned whether the path Ruci had adopted was truly a path to mokṣa. They explained that just as inauspiciousness is destroyed through the five yajña-s performed without desire, the karma-s earned in previous births are exhausted when their auspicious and inauspicious results are experienced. For those whose very nature is the cause of action, there is no saṃsāra-bandhana, because karma performed without desire does not become a cause of bondage.

They elaborated further: by experiencing happiness and sorrow, the karma-s consisting of merit and demerit that humans have performed in previous births are exhausted day and night. Wise humans cleanse the ātmā in this way and protect it from bonds, rather than destroying it with the mud of sin through a lack of viveka.

At this point, Ruci raised an objection. He said that he had read in the Veda-s that the karma-mārga is described as avidyā, and he asked why his own Pitṛ-deva-s would enjoin him on the path of avidyā.

The Pitṛ-deva-s conceded that it is indeed true that the karma-mārga is described as avidyā. However, they declared that karma alone is the cause for the attainment of mokṣa, without any doubt. Whatever restraint of the senses an unaccomplished person performs in pursuit of mukti, without performing the prescribed karma-s, does not grant mukti at that time but rather leads to a downward state.

They warned Ruci directly. Though he might think in his mind that he was cleansing the ātmā, if he did not perform the prescribed karma-s, he would be consumed by the sin of that omission. They offered him an analogy: just as harmful poison, when used properly, acts as a benefactor to humans, so also avidyā benefits humans when employed through proper means. An act performed through the right method becomes beneficial. For this reason, they urged him to perform marriage according to the prescribed rules, so that his birth would not become futile through the failure to properly attain laukika-dharma.

Ruci responded with a practical concern. He said that he had now become old, and therefore who would give him a maiden in marriage. He added that for the poor especially, obtaining a wife is extremely difficult.

The Pitṛ-deva-s then gave a final warning. If Ruci did not accept their words, their own downfall and his downward state would certainly follow. Having spoken thus, the Pitṛ-deva-s vanished before his very eyes, like a lamp extinguished by the wind.

Ruci’s Tapas and the Appearance of Brahmā

After hearing the words of his Pitṛ-deva-s, the viprarṣi Ruci became deeply agitated in mind. He wandered across the earth seeking a maiden but could not find one. Inflamed by the fire of the words of his Pitṛs, and having failed to obtain a wife, he fell into great anxiety. He agonized within himself, wondering what he should do, where he should go, and how the acceptance of a wife that would bring prosperity to his Pitṛs could happen quickly.

While he was thinking in this manner, a thought arose in the heart of that mahātma. He resolved that he would worship Bhagavān Brahmā, the one born from the lotus, through tapas. Desiring the vision of Brahmā, he performed tapas for a hundred divine years with extreme discipline.

After this great period of tapas, Brahmā, the grandfather of the world, revealed his form to Ruci. He told him that he was pleased and asked Ruci to state his desired wish. Ruci offered his salutations to Brahmā, the refuge of the world, and submitted his desire in accordance with the words of his Pitṛ-deva-s.

After hearing the desire of the viprarṣi, Brahmā spoke to him. He told Ruci that he would become a Prajāpati and that people would be born through him. After creating people and performing all rituals through the procreation of offspring, Ruci would attain siddhi. Brahmā explained that it was for this very reason that the Pitṛ-deva-s had instructed him to accept a wife. Their words must certainly be followed, and with this understanding, Ruci should perform pitṛ-pūjā.

Ruci’s Sacred Hymn to the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s

Having heard the words of Brahmā of unmanifest birth, Ruci went to a secluded riverbank and performed tarpaṇa. With proper conduct, a concentrated mind, endowed with śraddhā, his head bowed in bhakti, and his palms joined at his head, Ruci began to offer a hymn to the Pitṛ-deva-s.

He offered salutations to those Pitṛs who reside as the presiding deities of the śrāddha ritual, and whom even the deva-s satisfy with svadhā-kāra during śrāddha. He bowed to those Pitṛs whom the groups of maharṣi-s satisfy with bhakti through manomaya-śrāddha rituals in svarga, with the desire for enjoyment and mukti. He saluted those Pitṛ-deva-s whom the siddha-gaṇa in svarga satisfy with all divine and most excellent offerings at the time of śrāddha.

He offered salutations to those Pitṛ-deva-s whom the Guhyaka-s worship with bhakti and absorption for the sake of supreme prosperity. He bowed to the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s who grant the desired worlds to those people of the earth who perform śrāddha with śraddhā. He saluted the Pitṛ-deva-s who grant the desired worlds and the position of Prajāpati to those who worship them with śraddhā. He bowed to those Pitṛs whom the Brāhmaṇa-s who are forest-dwellers, self-restrained, lifelong celibates, and whose sins have been destroyed by tapas, satisfy in samādhi. He also offered salutations to those Pitṛ-deva-s who are satisfied by the forest-dwellers through offerings of forest produce.

He saluted the Pitṛs whom the kṣatriya-s satisfy with śrāddha-anna for the sake of obtaining the fruits of the world. He bowed to those Pitṛs whom the vaiśya-s, engaged in their own dharma, satisfy on earth with puṣpa, dhūpa, dīpa, anna, and water. He offered salutations to the Pitṛ-gaṇa known as Sukālina, whom the śūdra-s of the mortal world satisfy with bhakti and śraddhā. He saluted the Pitṛ-gaṇa whom the mahāsura-s in pātāla-loka, free from pride and deceit, always satisfy with svadhā-kāra through śrāddha. He bowed to those Pitṛ-deva-s whom the Nāga clans in rasātala-loka satisfy with śrāddha rituals and thereby enjoy infinite pleasures and riches. He offered salutations to those Pitṛs whom the groups of serpents in pātāla-loka, endowed with mantra, enjoyments, and riches, always satisfy through śrāddha according to the rules. He bowed to those Pitṛs who reside in deva-loka and the atmosphere, and who are worshipped by the deva-s on the earth. He asked that those Pitṛ-deva-s accept the worship performed by him.

He offered salutations to those Pitṛs who are of the nature of the Paramātmā, who are embodied and reside in vimāna-s, and whom the yogīśvara-s worship with pure minds through the jñāna that liberates from afflictions. He joined his palms to those Pitṛ-deva-s who are embodied in svarga and who partake of svadhā upon the attainment of desired fruits. He declared that to those who desire, the Pitṛ-deva-s are like gold at the corner of the eye. They grant the status of deva-s or the position of Indra. If one desires more than that, they grant it. Whatever is desired, whether sons, cattle, wealth, strength, or houses, they grant it. He prayed that such Pitṛ-deva-s be satisfied by his worship.

He asked that the Pitṛ-deva-s, who always reside in the rays of the moon, in the solar orb, and in the white vimāna, attain nourishment and be satisfied by the anna, water, and gandha offered by him. He described how the Pitṛ-deva-s are satisfied by offerings of ghee in the fire, how they enter the bodies of Brāhmaṇa-s and partake of the food, and how they are satisfied by the offering of piṇḍa. He prayed that they be satisfied by the anna and water offered by him. He asked that the Pitṛ-deva-s who are satisfied by the meat of the rhinoceros offered by the deva-s during sacred times, by divine black sesame seeds, and by the kāla-śāka offered by the maharṣi-s, also be satisfied at this place.

He declared that he satisfies the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s worshipped by the deva-s with their desired kavya-s. Being satisfied with the puṣpa, gandha, anna, and food items, may they come near to him. He acknowledged that some Pitṛ-gaṇa-s are worshipped daily, some every month, and some at the end of every year and during times of prosperity. He asked that they, like those who accept all such worship, also accept his worship and be satisfied.

He prayed that the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s of white luster like the kumuda and the moon, who are worshipful to the deva-s; those of red color like the newly rising sun, who are worshipful to the kṣatriya-s; those of beautiful golden luster, who are worshipful to the vaiśya-s; and those of blue color, who are worshipful to the śūdra-s, all attain satisfaction from the puṣpa, gandha, dhūpa, anna, and water offerings and the agni-homa performed by him. He declared that he always bows to those Pitṛs.

He prayed that those who, for the sake of extreme satisfaction, are offered oblations before the deva-s and partake of all auspicious kavya-s, and who being satisfied create the eight types of prosperity like aṇimā, be satisfied by him. He bowed to them. He prayed that those who destroy the rākṣasa-s, bhūta-s, and fierce beings, and the inauspiciousness of the people; who are the first beings for the deva-s; and who are worshipped by Indra, the lord of the immortals, be satisfied by him. He asked that the Agniṣvātta, Barhiṣad, Ājyapa, and Somapa Pitṛ-gaṇa-s, being worshipped by him, attain satisfaction in this śrāddha.

Ruci’s Prayer for Protection and the Thirty-one Pitṛ-gaṇa-s

Ruci then prayed for directional protection. He asked that the Agniṣvātta Pitṛs protect him in the eastern direction, and the Barhiṣada Pitṛs protect him in the southern direction. He asked that the Ājyapa Pitṛs and the Somapa Pitṛ-gaṇa-s protect him from the defects arising from rākṣasa-s, bhūta-s, piśāca-s, and asura-s in the western and northern directions respectively. He prayed that Yama, the lord of all directions and these groups, protect him.

He then invoked the thirty-one Pitṛ-gaṇa-s by name. He called upon the nine gaṇa-s named Viśva, Viśvabhuk, Ārādhya, Dharma, Dhanya, Śubhānana, Bhūtida, Bhūtikṛt, and Bhūti. He called upon the six gaṇa-s named Kalyāṇa, Kalyatākartā, Kalya, Kalyatarāśraya, Kalyatāhetu, and Anagha, and the Pitṛs named Vara, Vareṇya, Varada, Puṣṭida, and Tuṣṭida. He invoked the seven types of gaṇa-s including Viśvapātā and Dhātā, and the five sin-destroying Pitṛ-gaṇa-s named Mahān, Mahātmā, Mahita, Mahimāvān, and Mahābala. These thirty-one gaṇa-s pervade the entire world. He prayed that all of them, being satisfied by him, make him content and always do what is beneficial for him.

The Manifestation of the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s and Ruci’s Second Hymn

When Ruci praised them in this manner, a great mass of tejas with towering peaks, pervading the sky, immediately appeared before him. Seeing that tejas which covered the entire world, Ruci touched the ground with his knees and sang another hymn.

He bowed to the Pitṛ-deva-s who are both embodied and unembodied, of shining tejas, absorbed in dhyāna, and possessed of divine eyes. He bowed to those who are the fulfillers of desires and the leaders of Dakṣa, Marīci, Indra, and others. He bowed to all the Pitṛ-deva-s who fulfill the desires of Manu and others, of the lords of muni-s, and of the sun and moon, and who are also present in the oceans.

He joined his palms and bowed to those Pitṛ-deva-s who are the lords of the stars, planets, wind, fire, ether, svarga, and the earth. He bowed to those who are worshipped by all the worlds and who grant imperishable fruits to the devarṣi-s and planets. He saluted those who are in the seven worlds and the seven groups. He bowed to the Pitṛs who have the eyes of yoga and who have the form of the self-born Brahmā. He bowed to those Pitṛs who are the support of Soma, who possess forms of yoga, who are of the form of Soma, and who are the fathers of the universe.

Since the entire universe is composed of Agni and Soma, he offered salutations to the Pitṛ-deva-s who are of the form of Agni. He bowed repeatedly with a mind of restrained senses to all those yogī Pitṛs who are situated in tejas, who have assumed the forms of Soma, Sūrya, and Agni, and who are of the form of the world and of the form of Brahmā. He prayed that the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s who partake of svadhā be pleased with him.

The Pitṛ-gaṇa-s Appear and Grant Boons

As soon as Ruci completed this second hymn, the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s appeared, illuminating the ten directions with their tejas. Ruci, the best of twice-born ones, saw them standing before him, adorned with the puṣpa, gandha, and unguents that he himself had offered. He immediately joined his palms and bowed with bhakti, saying with respect to each group separately, “Salutations to you, salutations to you.”

The Pitṛ-deva-s were pleased and told Ruci to ask for a boon. Bowing his head, Ruci spoke to them. He told them that Brahmā had commanded him to create progeny, and for this reason, he desired to obtain a beautiful and divine wife who was capable of bearing offspring.

The Pitṛ-deva-s responded with their blessings. They declared that right then, in that very place, a very beautiful wife would be obtained by him. In her womb, an excellent son would be born to him, and that son would become a Manu. They told Ruci that his wise son, the lord of a manvantara, would be known by his name, that is, he would become renowned in the three worlds by the name Raucya.

They continued, saying that many sons would be born to Raucya, who would be very powerful, great-souled, and protectors of the earth. Ruci himself, having become a Prajāpati and produced the four types of people, would attain siddhi when his authority was exhausted. They also declared that whichever human praises the Pitṛ-deva-s with bhakti through this very hymn, they being satisfied, would bestow enjoyments and excellent ātma-jñāna. They would undoubtedly grant physical health, wealth, sons, grandsons, and other desired things to those who wish for them.

The Pitṛ-deva-s Declare the Power of the Hymn

The Pitṛ-deva-s then spoke at length about the extraordinary power of the hymn that Ruci had recited. They said that those who desire their pleasure should constantly recite this hymn. Those who sit before the Brāhmaṇa-s eating during the śrāddha and recite this hymn with bhakti, and those who even hear it with curiosity, shall obtain the fruit of having offered imperishable śrāddha. There is no doubt about this.

They declared that imperishable śrāddha shall be accomplished for them even if the śrāddha is devoid of a śrotriya, or is defiled, or is performed with wealth earned through unjust means, or at an improper time, or in an improper place, or without rules, or with defiled offerings, or performed by deceitful persons devoid of śraddhā. Due to the recitation of this hymn, that śrāddha would still bring satisfaction to them.

They specified the effects according to the seasons. In whichever śrāddha this hymn is recited for their happiness, they would derive satisfaction from that śrāddha for twelve years. During the hemanta season, this hymn bestows twelve years of satisfaction. During the cold season, this auspicious hymn bestows satisfaction for twenty-four years. By reciting it during the śrāddha in the vasanta season, it bestows satisfaction for sixteen years. During the grīṣma season as well, reciting this hymn would be the cause of satisfaction for sixteen years. If for some reason the śrāddha becomes impaired, it would be accomplished by the recitation of this hymn. During the rainy season, reciting this hymn at the time of śrāddha would bring imperishable satisfaction. If humans recite this hymn during the śarat-kāla and offer substances related to śraddhā, the Pitṛ-deva-s would have satisfaction for fifteen years.

They further declared that in whichever house this hymn is written down and always kept, they would reside in that house during the time of śrāddha. For this reason, they instructed Ruci to stand before the Brāhmaṇa-s eating during the śrāddha and recite this hymn for their nourishment. Having spoken thus to Ruci, the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s departed for svarga.

The Marriage of Ruci and the Birth of Raucya Manu

After the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s departed, a beautiful and excellent Apsaras named Pramlocā emerged from that river and came near Ruci. With humility and a bow, she spoke sweet words to the mahātma. She told him that she had a daughter who was born from the mahātma Puṣkara, the son of Varuṇa, and that this daughter was extremely beautiful. She offered this excellent lady to Ruci and asked him to accept her as his wife. She declared that from her womb, a son who would be the lord of a manvantara would be born to him.

When Ruci consented, saying “May it be so,” Pramlocā brought the maiden named Mālinī from the water. Ruci, the best of muni-s, summoned mahāmuni-s to that riverbank and performed the pāṇigrahaṇa ceremony according to the proper rules.

From the womb of Mālinī, a son of great heroism and intellect was born to Ruci. That son became renowned on the earth by the name Raucya, derived from his father’s name. The deva-s, saptarṣi-s, and all the royal sons of his manvantara have been described previously.

Phalasruti

Mārkaṇḍeya declared that by hearing the story of this manvantara, humans attain increase in dharma, health, dhana, dhānya, and the birth of sons. By praising the Pitṛs and by hearing about the Pitṛ-gaṇa-s, all desires are fulfilled by their grace.

Source: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapter 92 to 95