Manvantaras

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas of the Sanātana tradition, contains an extensive and detailed account of the fourteen Manvantaras that together constitute one Kalpa, or a single day in the life of Brahmā. This account is narrated by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya to his disciple Krauṣṭuki, and spans Chapters 58 through 98 of the text. Each Manvantara is presided over by a Manu, who serves as the progenitor and ruler of the age, along with a particular set of devatās, saptarṣis (seven sages), an Indra who governs the celestial realm, and royal sons who protect the earth. The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa is distinctive in that it does not merely list these figures but also tells vivid origin stories for many of the Manus, weaving dharma, karma, and tapas into narratives that explain how each Manu came to be. Six Manvantaras had already passed at the time of narration, the seventh was the current one under Manu Vaivasvata, and seven more were yet to come.

The Reckoning of Time

Mārkaṇḍeya explains the duration of time to Krauṣṭuki. The four yugas, namely Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali, together form one Mahāyuga. Seventy-one such Mahāyugas, plus a fractional excess, constitute one Manvantara. In human reckoning, one Manvantara lasts approximately thirty crore sixty-seven lakh and twenty thousand years. In divine reckoning, this equals eight lakh and fifty-two thousand divine years. Fourteen Manvantaras make up one full day of Brahmā, totalling twelve million divine years, or approximately four billion three hundred and twenty million human years. At the end of each day of Brahmā, a dissolution (pralaya) takes place, followed by a new cycle of creation. The gods, the saptarṣis, the Indra, the Manu, and his royal sons are all created afresh with each Manvantara and pass into dissolution at its end.

The First Manvantara: Svāyambhuva

The first Manu was Svāyambhuva, the self-born. Mārkaṇḍeya tells Krauṣṭuki that Manu Svāyambhuva had ten sons who were equal to him in virtue and might, and through them the entire tributary earth with its seven continents, its mountains, and its oceans was populated. The earth was first settled during the Svāyambhuva period, in the Kṛta and Tretā ages, by the sons and grandsons of Priyavrata, the eldest son of Svāyambhuva.

Priyavrata had a daughter by Prajāvatī, and that daughter bore through Prajāpati Kardama two daughters, Saṃrāj and Kukṣi, and seven notable sons. These seven sons were Agnīdhra, Medhātithi, Vapuṣmat, Jyotiṣmat, Dyutimat, Bhavya, and Savana. Priyavrata appointed each of them as king over one of the seven dvīpas. Agnīdhra received Jambudvīpa, Medhātithi received Plakṣadvīpa, Vapuṣmat received Śālmalīdvīpa, Jyotiṣmat received Kuśadvīpa, Dyutimat received Krauñcadvīpa, Bhavya received Śākadvīpa, and Savana received Puṣkaradvīpa.

Each of these kings in turn had sons among whom their dvīpas were further divided into countries. In Jambudvīpa, Agnīdhra had nine sons. The eldest was Nābhi, followed by Kimpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Yaśya, Hiraṇya, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla. Their countries were named after them. In the lands of Kimpuruṣa and the others, except for the region named after Mount Hima, a state of natural perfection prevailed. There was no adversity, no old age, no death, and no fear. Neither dharma nor adharma existed as distinctions, and the four yugas did not operate there.

Agnīdhra’s son Nābhi had a son named Ṛṣabha. Ṛṣabha begot Bharata, the greatest among his hundred sons. After anointing Bharata as king, Ṛṣabha retired to the hermitage of Pulaha and devoted himself to the strictest tapas as a wandering mendicant. Bharata received the southern country named after the Hima mountain, and it came to be known as Bhārata after him. Bharata too eventually entrusted his kingdom to his righteous son Sumati and departed for the forest. Thus, during the Svāyambhuva period, Priyavrata’s sons and their descendants ruled the earth with its seven continents.

The Second Manvantara: Svārociṣa

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa devotes several cantos, from LXI to LXVII, to the origin of the second Manu, Svārociṣa. It begins with the tale of a young brāhmaṇa who lived in the town of Aruṇāspada on the bank of the river Varuṇā. This brāhmaṇa surpassed even the Aśvins in beauty of form. He was gentle, righteous, learned in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, and always hospitable to guests. He had an intense desire to see the world, and when a guest once arrived who possessed the power to travel a thousand yojanas in half a day through a magical ointment, the brāhmaṇa asked for the same favour.

With the ointment applied to his feet, the brāhmaṇa journeyed to the Himavat range in half a day. However, the melting snow dissolved the ointment from his feet, and he found himself stranded and unable to return home. While wandering in distress, he was found by the Apsaras Varūthinī, the daughter of Mūli, who instantly fell in love with him. She offered him garlands, garments, ornaments, loving joys, and all the pleasures of the celestial mountain. But the brāhmaṇa steadfastly refused her entreaties. He told her that striving after delights was not commended for brāhmaṇas, that he desired only his gārhapatya fire and his wife, and that he would never covet another’s wife. Even when Varūthinī argued that saving a woman at the point of death from love would earn him merit, the brāhmaṇa remained unmoved. He touched water, prostrated himself, and prayed to the gārhapatya fire, swearing by the truth of his virtue that he may see his home before the sun set.

The gārhapatya fire, pleased by his devotion, appeared in embodied form and carried the brāhmaṇa home. The fire then granted him three boons, and through the course of the subsequent narrative, the brāhmaṇa was blessed with three divine wives from whom arose the three sacred fires. Through various events involving the Apsaras Varūthinī and the brāhmaṇa’s sons, a lineage was established. From this lineage, through events involving a king named Svarociṣ, who married Manoramā and was elevated by divine grace, the Manu Svārociṣa, also known as Dyutimat, came to be.

In the Svārociṣa Manvantara, the classes of gods were the Parāvatas and the Tuṣitas. The Indra of this age was Vipaścit. The seven ṛṣis were Ūrja, Stambha, Prāṇa, Dattoli, Ṛṣabha, Niścara, and Arvarīvat. The sons of Manu Svārociṣa, who were mighty kings, included Caitra, Kimpuruṣa, and others.

The Third Manvantara: Auttama

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa relates the origin of the third Manu through the story of King Uttama. Uttama was a king who banished his queen to a forest because of her persistent unloving behaviour. A brāhmaṇa whose wife had been carried off by a rākṣasa then came to the king seeking help. While searching for the missing woman, the king reached a muni’s hermitage and was censured for his harsh treatment of his queen. Through a series of trials, lessons in dharma, and the intervention of divine forces, King Uttama’s son became the third Manu, known as Auttama.

In the Auttama Manvantara, the Indra was Suśānti. The classes of gods were the Sudhāmas, Satyas, Śivas, Pradarśanas, and Vasavartis, with each order having twelve devatās. The seven ṛṣis were the seven sons of Vasiṣṭha. The royal sons of the Manu included Aja, Paraśu, Divya, and others.

The Fourth Manvantara: Tāmasa

Mārkaṇḍeya relates the origin of the fourth Manu through the story of King Svarāṣṭra. King Svarāṣṭra was a famous ruler, valiant, an offerer of many yajñas, wise, and invincible in battles. The sun, invoked by his ministers, had granted him a very long life, and he had a hundred wives. However, enemies drove him from his kingdom, and he became an ascetic, practicing severe tapas. During a great flood, he encountered his deceased queen who had taken the form of a doe. He begot a son through her, and that son, having conquered the whole earth, became the Manu named Tāmasa.

In the Tāmasa Manvantara, the classes of gods were the Satyas, the Sudhīs, the Surūpas, and the Haris, each numbering twenty-seven. The Indra was Śikhi, great in valour, distinguished by a hundred yajñas. The seven ṛṣis were Jyotirdhāman, Pṛthu, Kāvya, Caitra, Agni, Valaka, and Pīvara. The kings who were sons of Manu Tāmasa included Nara, Kṣānti, Śānta, Dānta, Jānu, Jaṅgha, and others.

The Fifth Manvantara: Raivata

The ṛṣi Ṛtavāk caused the constellation Revatī to descend, and from it a maiden was born. This maiden married King Durgama and bore a son who became the fifth Manu, Raivata.

In the Raivata Manvantara, the Indra was Vibhu. The classes of gods were the Amitābhas, Bhūtarayas, Vaikuṇṭhas, and Sumedhases, each numbering fourteen. The seven ṛṣis were Hiraṇyaroman, Vedaśrī, Ūrdhvabāhu, Vedabāhu, Sudhāman, Parjanya, and Mahāmuni. The kings who were the sons of Manu Raivata included Balabandhu, Saṃbhāvya, Satyaka, and others.

The Sixth Manvantara: Cākṣuṣa

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa tells the peculiar origin story of the sixth Manu. An infant was exchanged by a hag shortly after birth, and the switched child grew up as the son of King Vikrānta. However, realizing the truth of his origins and the workings of karma, the child turned to the life of an ascetic and, through his tapas, became the sixth Manu, Cākṣuṣa.

In the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, the Indra was Manojava. The classes of gods were five in number: the Āpyas, Prasūtas, Bhavyas, Pṛthugas, and Lekhas, each comprising eight devatās. The seven ṛṣis were Sumedhas, Virajas, Haviṣmat, Uttama, Madhu, Atināman, and Sahiṣṇu. The kings who were the sons of Manu Cākṣuṣa included the mighty Ūru and Pūru, with Śatadyumna as the foremost among them.

The Seventh Manvantara: Vaivasvata (the present age)

Mārkaṇḍeya tells that the present, seventh Manvantara is that of Manu Vaivasvata, the son of Vivasvat, the Sun. The Purāṇa devotes several cantos to the story of the Sun’s marriage to Tvāṣṭr’s daughter Saṃjñā and the events that followed. Saṃjñā bore two sons, Vaivasvata and Yama, but finding the Sun’s splendour unbearable, she left behind her shadow (Chāyā) and departed. When the Sun eventually discovered the substitution, Tvāṣṭr pared down his splendour, and the Sun was reunited with Saṃjñā.

In the Vaivasvata Manvantara, the classes of gods include the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, and others. The Indra of this period is Purandara, the conqueror of citadels. The seven ṛṣis are Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama, Viśvāmitra, and Bharadvāja. Manu Vaivasvata’s sons became the kings of the earth, and from them descend the Solar and Lunar dynasties.

The Eighth Manvantara: Sāvarṇi

The Sun had by Chāyā (the shadow of Saṃjñā) a son who will be the eighth Manu, Sāvarṇi. This Manvantara is the first of the seven future ages yet to come. The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa states that this Manvantara will be marked by the emergence of the Devī-māhātmya narrative. It is during the transition to the Sāvarṇi Manvantara that the famous story of King Suratha and the merchant Samādhi unfolds, leading to the revelation of the glories of the Devī as narrated in the Devī-māhātmya (Chapters 78 to 90). King Suratha, defeated in battle and exiled, and Samādhi, a merchant driven away by his own wives and children, meet in a forest and approach the ṛṣi Medhā, who reveals to them the supreme power of Mahāmāyā, Bhagavatī Durgā, and how she destroys the asuras Madhu and Kaiṭabha, Mahiṣāsura, and Śumbha and Niśumbha. It is by worshipping the Devī that King Suratha is promised the boon of becoming the Manu Sāvarṇi in the coming age.

In the Sāvarṇi Manvantara, the classes of gods will be the Sutapās, Amitābhas, and Mukhyas. The Indra will be Bali, the former king of the Daityas. The seven ṛṣis will include Gālava, Dīptimān, Paraśurāma, Aśvatthāman, Kṛpa, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, and Vyāsa. The sons of Manu Sāvarṇi will be Virajas, Arvarīvān, and others.

The Ninth Manvantara: Dakṣa-Sāvarṇi

The ninth Manvantara will be that of Dakṣa-Sāvarṇi, the second of the five Sāvarṇa Manus. In this period, a new set of devatās, ṛṣis, and royal sons will arise. The Indra of this age will be Adbhuta. The classes of gods will include the Pāras and Marīcigarbhas. The seven ṛṣis will be Medhātithi, Vasu, Satya, Jyotiṣmat, Dyutimān, Savala, and Havyavāhana. The sons of this Manu will be mighty kings who will protect dharma during this Manvantara.

The Tenth Manvantara: Brahma-Sāvarṇi

The tenth Manvantara will be presided over by Brahma-Sāvarṇi, the third of the Sāvarṇa Manus. The Indra of this age will be Śānti. The classes of gods will include the Sudhāmas and Viruddhas. The seven ṛṣis will be Haviṣmat, Sumanā, Sukṛti, Apomūrti, Nābhāga, Apratimaujas, and Satyaketu. The royal sons of this Manu will include Sukshetra, Uttamaujas, and others.

The Eleventh Manvantara: Dharma-Sāvarṇi

The eleventh Manvantara will be that of Dharma-Sāvarṇi, the fourth of the Sāvarṇa Manus. The Indra will be Vṛṣa. The classes of gods will include the Vihāṅgamas, Kāmagamas, and Nirvaṇarucis. The seven ṛṣis will be Niścara, Agnitejas, Vapuṣmat, Viṣṇu, Āruṇi, Haviṣmat, and Anagha. The sons of this Manu will be Sarvaga, Sudharmā, Devānīka, and others.

The Twelfth Manvantara: Rudra-Sāvarṇi

The twelfth Manvantara will be that of Rudra-Sāvarṇi, the fifth and last of the Sāvarṇa Manus. The Indra will be Ṛtadhāman. The classes of gods will include the Haritās and others. The seven ṛṣis will be Tapasvin, Sutapas, Tapomūrti, Taporati, Tapodhriti, Tapodhana, and Tapopara. The sons of this Manu will be Devavān, Upadeva, Devareṣṭha, and others.

The Thirteenth Manvantara: Raucya (Deva-Sāvarṇi)

The thirteenth Manvantara will be that of Raucya, also called Deva-Sāvarṇi. His origin is traced to the lineage of the sage Ruci. The Indra will be Divaspati. The classes of gods will include the Sukarmas, Sutrāmas, and Sudharmās. The seven ṛṣis will be Nirmoha, Tatvadaśin, Niṣprakampa, Nirutsuka, Dhṛtimān, Avyaya, and Sutapas. The royal sons of this Manu will protect the world during this age.

The Fourteenth Manvantara: Bhautya (Indra-Sāvarṇi)

The fourteenth and final Manvantara of the present Kalpa will be that of Bhautya, also called Indra-Sāvarṇi. His origin is traced to the lineage of Bhūti. The Indra will be Śuci. The classes of gods will include the Cākṣuṣas, Pavitras, and Kaniṣṭhas. The seven ṛṣis will be Agnibāhu, Śuci, Śukra, Māgadha, Gridhra, Yukta, and Ajita. The sons of this Manu will be Uru, Gabhīra, Bradhna, and others.

At the conclusion of the fourteenth Manvantara, the day of Brahmā comes to its end. The pralaya or dissolution then takes place, and the entire universe is absorbed back. Thus the great cycle of one Kalpa, comprising fourteen Manvantaras, draws to a close and awaits the next dawn of Brahmā for a fresh cycle of creation.

The Underlying Principle

Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration of the fourteen Manvantaras carries a profound teaching. Each Manvantara demonstrates that the universe operates through an ever-renewing cycle of creation, sustenance, and dissolution. The Manus, the devatās, the ṛṣis, and the Indras all arise anew in each age and pass away at its end, yet the underlying principle of Brahman persists unchanged. The stories of how individual Manus arose from brāhmaṇas, kings, and even from the shadow of the Sun show that dharma, tapas, and śraddhā are the true pathways to cosmic responsibility. The narratives also teach that yajña sustains the worlds, that devotion to one’s sacred duties brings the highest reward, and that each being in creation has a role to play in maintaining the order of the universe across the vast stretches of cosmic time.

The Merits of Hearing the Manvantara-s

Maharṣi Mārkaṇḍeya declared that by hearing all these manvantara-s in order, human groups become capable of earning merit and their lineage shall never diminish. By hearing the first Svāyambhuva Manvantara, one attains dharma. By hearing the second Svārociṣa Manvantara, all desires are fulfilled. By hearing the third Auttama and the fourth Tāmasa Manvantara-s, one attains the gain of jñāna. By hearing the fifth Raivata Manvantara, one obtains intellect and a beautiful woman. By hearing the sixth Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, a person obtains health, and by hearing the seventh Vaivasvata Manvantara, strength. By hearing the eighth Sūrya Sāvarṇika Manvantara, one obtains virtuous sons and grandsons. By hearing the ninth Brahma Sāvarṇi Manvantara, one attains greatness. By hearing the tenth Dharma Sāvarṇika Manvantara, auspiciousness. By hearing the eleventh Rudra Sāvarṇika Manvantara, intellect and victory. By hearing the twelfth Dakṣa Sāvarṇika Manvantara, a person becomes best among kinsmen and endowed with qualities. By hearing the thirteenth Raucya Manvantara, one becomes capable of destroying the strength of enemies. By hearing the fourteenth Bhautya Manvantara, one attains the benefit of the deva-s’ grace and can obtain virtuous sons by the grace of Agni-hotra.

A human who hears the accounts of the deva-s, all the ṛṣi-s, Manu, the kings, the sons, and their lineages in those respective manvantara-s is liberated from all sins. The deva-s, ṛṣi-s, Indra, groups of kings, and those who were the lords of those manvantara-s become pleased. If they are pleased, they bestow intellect. Thereafter, by obtaining intellect and performing auspicious karma-s, humans shall possess an auspicious intellect as long as the fourteen Indra-s exist. By hearing the state of the manvantara-s in order, all seasons shall be the bringers of welfare, and all planets shall be gentle.

Source: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapters 58 to 97