Pracetas

The Pracetas were ten brothers. They were sons of Pracīna-barhish and grandsons of Priyavrata, who was the son of Manu Svāyambhuva. Their father told them to fill the world with beings. Instead they chose to do tapas (austerity) for ten thousand years, deep in the cosmic ocean, with their minds on Bhagavān Vishṇu. Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared to them in the ocean and received their stotra (hymn of praise). He told them to finish their duty in the world through the wife who would come to them, Mārishā. From their union with Mārishā was born Daksha Prajāpati, one of the great progenitors of living beings.

Lineage

The line of the Pracetas runs from the earliest human line:

• Manu Svāyambhuva
• Priyavrata, his son
• Pracīna-barhish, son of Priyavrata
• The ten Pracetas, sons of Pracīna-barhish

Pracīna-barhish was a devoted king who performed many yajñas (fire rituals). He spread grass over the earth as offerings to the directions. He had ten sons, all named Pracetasa. They were born together, alike in nature, and had great power from tapas. The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 14.

The tapas in the ocean

Before he left, their father Pracīna-barhish told the Pracetas: “Go forth and multiply the world. Fill the earth with beings. This is the command of Brahmā.” The Pracetas, however, were drawn to meditation and not to the life of a householder. They entered the cosmic ocean, sank into its depths, and did tapas there for ten thousand years.

They meditated on Bhagavān Vishṇu, the supreme Brahman, who is the ground of the cosmos and who rules the cosmic waters. They stood still in the depths of the ocean, their minds fixed on Bhagavān Vishṇu, and gathered tapas of great depth and power. The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 14.

Bhagavān Vishṇu appears and their stotra

Bhagavān Vishṇu was moved by the depth and purity of their devotion. He appeared before them in the cosmic ocean, holding his śaṅkha (conch), cakra (discus), gadā (mace) and padma (lotus), and shining with supreme splendour. The Pracetas were filled with joy and made a great stotra in his praise. They praised him as the uncaused cause, the inner ātmā of all beings, the param jyoti (supreme light) beyond speech and thought, and the eternal Purusha who is the support of all twenty-four tattvas (principles) of Prakṛti.

Bhagavān Vishṇu accepted the stotra and gave them a new direction. Their store of tapas was very great, but their worldly duty was not yet done. A wife, Mārishā, would come to them. Through her they would father Daksha Prajāpati, who would carry on the work of creation given to them. When this task was done, they would be free. The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 14. The stotra is kept in the Vishṇu Purāṇa as the Pracetas Vishṇu Stotra.

Marriage to Mārishā and the birth of Daksha

The Pracetas came out of the ocean. Mārishā came to them and offered herself as their common wife. She was born in the forest from the sweat of the apsarā Pramlocā, and she carried the tapas-energy of Kaṇḍu Maharshi. The Pracetas remembered the words of Bhagavān Vishṇu and accepted her. From their union was born Daksha Prajāpati, who became one of the main progenitors of all living beings. The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 16.

The Bhāgavata account

The Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa also tells of the Pracetas, in the 4th Skanda, Chapter 30. In this account, the Pracetas come out of their long tapas in the ocean and find the earth covered with trees that block the sky. There is no rain and there is great ruin. In anger the Pracetas begin to burn the forests. Soma, the Moon, who guards the trees as king of plants, steps in with a stotra in praise of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Then the Pracetas calm their anger. Soma tells them to accept Mārishā as their wife.

In the Bhāgavata, Mārishā is also born in the forest, from the sweat of the tapas of Kaṇḍu. She is a woman of divine beauty. The trees themselves kept her hidden in the forest until the right time.

Sources

• Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, Prathamāṃśa, Chapters 14–16
• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 4th Skanda, Chapter 30