Deva-Vaṃśa of the Svāyambhuva Manvantara

A Manvantara is a great age ruled by one Manu, the father and law-giver of humankind for that age. The Svāyambhuva Manvantara is the very first Manvantara of the present kalpa (a day of Brahmā, a vast cycle of time), and it is ruled by Svāyambhuva Manu. Chapter 31 of the Vāyu Purāṇa gives a detailed account of the deva-vaṃśas (the family lines of the devas) that guided this first age.

The chapter lists the thirty-three devas and the twelve Yāmas, describes the move to the Vaivasvata Manvantara, and gives the standard list of the Saptarshis (the seven great ṛshis). It also names the families from whom the noblest beings of all later ages come.

Svāyambhuva Manu and the First Manvantara

The Svāyambhuva Manvantara is the first of the fourteen Manvantaras of the present Vārāha Kalpa. Svāyambhuva Manu, the “mind-born” Manu who came directly from Brahmā, rules this first age with his wife Śatarūpā. Their family line is the root of all later human civilisation.

In Chapter 10, the Vāyu Purāṇa states that Yajña and Dakshiṇā are the Yāmas (the rulers who guide life by dharma) of the Svāyambhuva age. This is a special point. It differs from the Vaivasvata age, where Yama, also called Dharmarāja, is the son of Sūrya (the sun).

The Thirty-Three Devas

Chapter 31 of the Vāyu Purāṇa lists the thirty-three devas of the Svāyambhuva Manvantara. Thirty-three is a basic number in the Vedic picture of the universe: 8 Vasus + 11 Rudras + 12 Ādityas + 2 Aśvins = 33.

In the Svāyambhuva age:

  • The Yāmas and the Saumyas are the main groups of devas.
  • The Yāmas look after the working of dharma across the three worlds.
  • The Saumyas are gentle, kindly devas linked with Soma (the moon).

The Twelve Yāmas

The Vāyu Purāṇa counts the Yāmas of the Svāyambhuva age as twelve, and gives their names. These twelve Yāmas are not the same as Yama-Dharmarāja, the ruler of the dead in the Vaivasvata age. In the Svāyambhuva age the Yāmas are beings who look after the running of the universe and make sure the order of dharma works well in the first age.

The twelve Yāmas match in pattern the twelve months, the twelve Ādityas of later ages, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. This suggests that the twelvefold ordering of time and of dharma is built into the first Manvantara from the start.

The Saptarshis

Chapter 31 gives the list of the Saptarshis (the seven ṛshis) of the Svāyambhuva age. In every Manvantara the Saptarshis are the spiritual guardians of that age. They keep Vedic knowledge and the dharma of the universe flowing from generation to generation.

The Saptarshis of the Svāyambhuva Manvantara are great ṛshis who are themselves the mānasa-putras (mind-born sons) of Brahmā:

  • Marīci
  • Atri
  • Aṅgiras
  • Pulastya
  • Pulaha
  • Kratu
  • Vasishṭha

These same seven appear in many Purāṇas as the first Saptarshis. Chapter 28 of the Vāyu Purāṇa gives their family lines, described below.

The Move to the Vaivasvata Manvantara

Chapter 31 also marks the move from the Svāyambhuva age to the Vaivasvata Manvantara. This is the present, seventh Manvantara, ruled by Vaivasvata Manu, the son of Sūrya. The move matters for these reasons:

  • Six Manvantaras have passed since the Svāyambhuva.
  • The devas, the ṛshis and the human families have grown through six generations of ages.
  • The Vaivasvata Manvantara is “our” age. All the stories of the Purāṇas are set in it, and the listeners of the Vāyu Purāṇa themselves live in it.

The Purāṇa uses this change to show an unbroken history. The families described in the Svāyambhuva age are the ancestors of all the beings known in the present age.

The Families of the Ṛshis (Chapter 28)

Chapter 28 gives the family lines of the main ṛshi families. These form the backbone of the whole deva-vaṃśa.

The line of Bhṛgu

  • From Bhṛgu and Khyāti came the daughters Śrī (who became the consort of Vishṇu), Dhātā and Vidhātā.
  • This shows the link between Bhṛgu, one of Brahmā’s mind-born sons, and Mahālakshmī, the eternal consort of Vishṇu.

The line of Mārkaṇḍeya

  • The full ṛshi-vaṃśa leading to Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi is given. This matters for the standing of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa as a text.

The line of Marīci

  • Marīci, then Pūrṇamāsa, then Viraja.

The line of Aṅgiras

  • Aṅgiras and Smṛti, whose many sons form the Āṅgirasa gotra (family clan).

The line of Atri

  • Atri and Anasūyā, the celebrated pativratā (a wife wholly devoted to her husband).

The line of Pulastya

  • Pulastya and Dattāli.

The line of Pulaha

  • Pulaha and Kshamā (Forbearance), and their children.

The line of Vasishṭha

  • Vasishṭha and Ūrjā, and their seven sons, who form the family of the Vasishṭha gotra.

The Families of the Noblest Beings

The last part of Chapter 31 names the particular families from whom the noblest beings of the present age come. It sets out a principle: the quality of one’s vaṃśa (family line) is not a matter of chance. It reflects the tapas (spiritual discipline) and dharma built up by one’s ancestors over many Manvantaras.

The families named are linked both with the deva-gaṇas (groups of devas) of the Svāyambhuva age and with the great ṛshi families. This shows that the highest forms of human nobility have their roots in the divine beings of the very first Manvantara.

Sources

  • Vāyu Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 10
  • Vāyu Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 28
  • Vāyu Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 31