Svaroci
Svaroci is the son of the apsarā (celestial dancer) Varūthinī and the gandharva (celestial musician) Kali. Kali tricked Varūthinī by taking the form of a brāhmaṇa she loved. Svaroci was born shining with his own light, and his name means “self-luminous”. He learned the four Vedas and archery. On Mandara mountain he freed three women from a curse, married all three, and ruled from three cities. Through his tapas (austerity) and righteous rule he became Svārocisa, the second Manu.
Birth and parents
Svaroci was born from an unusual union in the Himālaya mountains. The apsarā Varūthinī, known for her beauty, met a brāhmaṇa who had come to the Himālaya by a magical oṣadhi (herb) put on his feet. Varūthinī was moved by love for him, but the brāhmaṇa left. The gandharva Kali had once been refused by Varūthinī. He saw her pining and took his chance. He took exactly the form of that brāhmaṇa and went to her. Varūthinī believed he was the brāhmaṇa she loved and accepted him. She conceived a child from this union.
The child was born shining with his own light, self-luminous from the first moment. So he was named Svaroci, “one who is self-luminous”.
Growing up
Svaroci grew up in fortunate surroundings that suited his shining birth. He mastered all four Vedas. He also became skilled in the science and practice of archery, ready both for the path of knowledge (jñāna) and for the path of the warrior.
Manoramā and the Padminī-vidyā
On Mandara mountain Svaroci met Manoramā, daughter of the Vidyādhara king Indīvara. With her were her two companions Vibhāvarī and Kālavatī. A ṛṣi whom Manoramā had once mocked had cursed the three women. They stayed on Mandara, waiting for the one who was foretold to free them.
Kālavatī was very learned. She told Svaroci that Satī herself had foretold that he would become their husband. She also told him that she held the Padminī-vidyā. This is mastery of the eight nidhis (treasures), gained through the worship of Mahālakṣmī. Through this vidyā (knowledge) all eight nidhis would serve whoever she married. The eight are Padma, Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Nanda and Nīla.
Marriage, kingdom and sons
Svaroci married all three women: Manoramā, Vibhāvarī and Kālavatī. Through Kālavatī’s Padminī-vidyā the eight nidhis served them all. Svaroci built three cities in the mountains, one for each of his queens, and lived there in great happiness and wealth.
He had a son by each queen:
- Vijaya, born of Manoramā
- Meru-nandana, born of Vibhāvarī
- Prabhāva, born of Kālavatī
The sons were raised in dharma and carried on the line of their shining father.
Becoming the second Manu
By the power of his tapas and the righteousness of his rule, Svaroci rose above the place of ordinary kings. He was raised to the station of Manu, the second Manu of the present cycle, called Svārocisa. During the Svārocisa Manvantara there are devas, saptarṣis (seven ṛṣis) and an Indra who rules in his era.
Sources
- Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapters 58–64