Manyu (Senāpati of the Devas)
Manyu, “fierce spirit”
Garga has other meanings too: see all meanings of Garga. Jaya has other meanings too: see all meanings of Jaya. Lokapāla has other meanings too: see all meanings of Lokapāla.
Manyu is the being whom Bhagavān Śiva created from his own tejas (radiance) on the bank of the Gautamī to lead the army of the devas. His form came forth from the third eye of Bhagavān Śiva. That same form is paurusha (manliness) in men, ahaṅkāra (the sense of “I”) in all creatures, and in all beings the terrible krodha that brings about annihilation. Manyu is Bhagavān Śiva himself, born from him in a separate form, in the form of Rudra, and all that moves and does not move is pervaded by him. With Manyu as their senāpati the devas defeated the dānavas, and the place where they received him is Manyutīrtha.
How Manyu came forth
Brahmā tells Nārada that once there was a war between the devas and the dānavas, and the dānavas won. The devas left the battle, dejected, came to Brahmā and asked for abhaya, freedom from fear. Brahmā sent them to the banks of the Gautamī to praise Bhagavān Maheśvara, who is beautiful and gives the bliss that comes freely, for from him they would gain the means of victory.
The devas went and praised Maheśvara. Some performed tapas, some danced, some bathed the liṅga in abhisheka and others performed pūjā. The trident-bearing Bhagavān Maheśvara was delighted and asked them to choose what they wished. The devas asked for a purusha worthy of the highest praise, who would command their army in battle, so that they might live happily relying on the strength of his arms. Bhagavān Śiva said, “So be it,” and by his own tejas Parameśvara created a being of terrible might named Manyu, to be the senāpati of the deva army. The devas bowed to Bhagavān Śiva and returned to their abodes with Manyu, ready for battle once more.
Manyu shows his form
Before they went against the dānavas and daityas, the devas stood before Manyu and asked him to show them his strength. Manyu answered, smiling: “My progenitor is the all-knowing ruler of the devas. He sees everything and knows everything; he knows the name and abode of every being and what is in every mind. No one knows him, yet he knows all at all times. He is the maker of the universe and one with the universe, with form and without form. He is the supreme Īśvara, who moves through svarga and the firmament; he is the maker of the Creator himself. Who knows his form? I am born of such a deva: how can you know me? Yet if you wish to see, see me.”
Then Manyu revealed his form, gathered from tejas, which had come forth from the third eye of Bhagavān Śiva. Seeing that representative of Śaṅkara, shining with his own radiance and holding aloft every kind of weapon, the devas bowed with joined palms, and the daityas and danujas were struck with fear.
With joined palms the devas said: “Be our senāpati, O Manyu. We shall enjoy the kingdom you win for us. You are victorious in every undertaking, and you will increase our victory. You are Indra and Varuṇa; you alone are the guardians of the quarters. Enter us, for the sake of our victory.” Manyu answered: “There is nothing without me. I have entered everyone; I am present in everyone; yet no one knows me.”
The victory
With Manyu the devas won the battle. Victory, manyu and heroism all arose from the splendour of Bhagavān Śiva. Having fought the daityas and won, the devas, protected by Manyu, went back the way they had come. The place on the bank of the Gautamī where the devas propitiated Bhagavān Śiva and received Manyu and victory is called Manyutīrtha. There Śaṅkara is ever directly present in the form of Manyu, and there is no tīrtha like it.
The phala
One who stays pure and remembers the origin of Manyu is never harassed by anyone; victory is his. Bathing at Manyutīrtha, giving dāna there and remembering it fulfil every cherished desire, and the tīrtha destroys all pāpas merely by being remembered.
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 92