Svārociṣa Manvantara in the Brahmāṇḍa and Vāyu Purāṇas

A manvantara is one of the fourteen long ages that make up a kalpa (a great cycle of the universe). Each has its own Manu (the first father and ruler of humankind for that age), its own Indra (king of the devas), its own devas and its own Saptarṣis (seven great ṛṣis).

The Svārociṣa Manvantara is the second of the fourteen manvantaras in the present kalpa. It takes its name from Svārociṣa Manu, its ruler. In this manvantara the groups of devas are the Tuṣitas and the Pārāvatas, twenty-four devas in all, and the famous Vipaścit is Indra. Six of the Saptarṣis are sons of the Saptarṣis of the age before, each born into a different ṛṣi family. The Svārociṣa Manvantara belongs to a group of five manvantaras (from Svārociṣa to Cākṣuṣa) whose Manus are understood to be mānasa-putras, sons born from the mind of Brahmā.

Its Place Among the Manvantaras

The Svārociṣa Manvantara is the second of the six past manvantaras of the present kalpa. It came after the Svāyambhuva Manvantara and before the Uttama Manvantara. Its Manu, together with the Manus of the Uttama, Tāmasa, Raivata and Cākṣuṣa manvantaras, is counted among the five mānasa-putras, the mind-born sons of Brahmā.

The Devas: Tuṣitas and Pārāvatas

In the Svārociṣa Manvantara, the devas form two groups of twelve each, twenty-four devas in all.

The Tuṣitas are the sons of Kratu Ṛṣi. They are soma-pāyīs, drinkers of soma (the sacred drink of the yajña). Their twelve names are: Divasparma, Jāmitra, Gopada, Bhāsura, Aja, Bhagavān, Draviṇa (of great strength), Āyu (of mighty arms), Mahaujas (of great energy), Cikitvān (the well-known), Aṃśu and Ṛtu. All twelve are famed as Tuṣitas.

The Pārāvatas also make up twenty-four when counted together with the twelve Tuṣitas. Their members include: Pracetas (the shining one), Viśvadeva, Samañja, the famous Ajihva, Aramardana, Āyurdāna, Mahāmāna, Divyamāna, the matchless Ajeya, the younger Avīyān, Hotā and Yajvā. All of these are counted among the Pārāvatas of the Svārociṣa Manvantara, and all receive the soma.

Indra: Vipaścit

The Indra of the Svārociṣa Manvantara is Vipaścit, famed through all the worlds as the foremost of the twenty-four devas of this age.

The Saptarṣis

The ṛṣis of the Svārociṣa Manvantara are each born into one of the great families of the age before:

  • Ūrja, son of Vasiṣṭha
  • Stambha, son of Kaśyapa
  • Prāṇa, son of Bhṛgu
  • Datta, son of Aṅgiras
  • Niścala Ātreya, son of Atri
  • Arvarīvān, son of Pulaha

The Sons of Svārociṣa Manu

Svārociṣa Manu had nine sons who carried on the family line of this manvantara: Caitra, Kimpuruṣa, Kṛtānta, Vibhṛta, Ravi, Bṛhadukta, Nava, Setu and Śruta. These nine are the vaṃśoddhārakas, the upholders of the family line of the manvantara, and they are recorded in the Purāṇas.

The Basic Make-up of Every Manvantara

Here the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa gives an important teaching on how every manvantara is made up. The four pillars of each manvantara are the Saptarṣis, the Manu, the devas and the pitṛs (ancestors). From these four come all living descendants:

  • The devas are born from the sons of the ṛṣis.
  • The pitṛs are born from the devas.
  • And again, ṛṣis are born from the devas.
  • From the Manu come the kṣatriyas (rulers and warriors) and vaiśyas (traders and farmers).
  • From the Saptarṣis come the brāhmaṇas.

This is the basic shape of a manvantara, told briefly. It could not be described in full even in hundreds of ślokas (verses), because from each family line countless descendants arise again and again in every cycle.

The Svārociṣa Manvantara in the Vāyu Purāṇa

The second half (Uttarārdha) of the Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa confirms the two groups of devas, the Tuṣitas and the Pārāvatas, twenty-four devas in all, all of them soma-drinkers. The Vāyu Purāṇa’s list of the Saptarṣis for this manvantara has some small differences in names from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:

  • Ūrja, son of Vasiṣṭha
  • Stambha, son of Kaśyapa (Kāśyapa)
  • Droṇa, son of Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
  • Ṛṣabha, son of Aṅgiras (Āṅgirasa)
  • Dattātri, son of Pulastya (Paulastya)
  • Niścala, son of Atri (Ātreya)
  • Nidhāvanta, son of Pulaha (Paulaha)

The Vāyu Purāṇa names Svārociṣa Manu’s nine sons as: Caitra, Kavi, Uta, Kṛtānta, Vibhṛta, Ravi, Bṛhattu, Guha and Nava.

The Vāyu Purāṇa also gives the same important teaching: the four pillars of every manvantara are the Saptarṣis, the Manu, the devas and the pitṛs, and from these four come all descendants. The devas are born from the sons of the ṛṣis; the pitṛs are born from the devas; and again ṛṣis are born from the devas. From the Manu come the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas; from the Saptarṣis come the brāhmaṇas.

Sources

  • Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrva Bhāga (First Part)
  • Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Second Part), Chapter 1