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2024-04-25, 1:23 PM |
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 Chapter 1: The
Manus,
Administrators
of
the Universe
(1) The honorable king said: 'Oh
guru, thus far I extensively heard about the dynasty of
Svâyambhuva Manu wherein the great rulers of the universe have
contributed to the creation. Can you please also describe the other
Manus to us [see also 3.11: 23-28]? (2) Oh brahmin, the scholars
speak about the
appearances and
activities of the Supreme, Glorified Lord during the manvantaras
[the periods
of the Manus *, see also 2.1:
36, 2.3:
9, 2.7:
2, 2.10:
4]. Can you please also
describe these to
us, your eager listeners? (3) As
for the past, the present and the future oh brahmin, what are
for each particular era the activities that the Supreme Lord, the
creator of this universe, was engaged in, is now engaged in and will be
engaged in [compare B.G. 2: 12
and **]?'
(4) The great rishi said:
'This day of Brahmâ [kalpa] six Manus have passed: Svâyambhuva and five
others. I already described the period of the first one [Svâyambhuva] including the divine
personalities who appeared during that time [see 2.7: 43-45, 3.12: 54, 4.1 and 4.8:
6]. (5)
From Âkûti and Devahûti, two daughters of [Svâyambhuva] Manu, sons
were
born
[Yajña
and
Kapila]
known
as
[incarnations
of]
the
Supreme
Lord for
[respectively] instructing dharma and jñâna [spiritual
knowledge]. (6) Kapila
I have fully described to you [see Canto
3b], let me now tell you
everything that Yajña[mûrti or Yajñapati] did, oh
best of the Kurus. (7) The master of the world [Svâyambhuva Manu], the husband of S'atarûpâ,
after totally renouncing his kingdom went with his wife into the forest
for doing his tapas [see 3.22: 31]. (8) At
the river Sunandâ he performed for a
hundred years the severest austerities, in which he on one leg touching
the earth [see also 4.8: 78-79] murmured the following, oh scion of Bhârata.
(9) Lord Manu said: 'He by whom this entire
universe is set in motion, is not moved by the universe himself. He who
is always awake while one is asleep in this body, He the One knowing,
is not known by the living entity itself [see also B.G. 18:
55]. (10) One
may enjoy that what is allotted
by Him, the Supersoul who is present everywhere with everything and
everyone in the universe, but one should not covet the wealth of others. (11)
He whose eye sees all and who is
not seen by the living entity, He the original source of all beings who
knows no diminution, is the godhead and companion [see 6.4:
24] everyone should worship. (12) There is no
beginning, no end,
nor a middle to Him, He favors no one, nor is He of enmity towards
anyone. He is
not [just]
the inside nor [just] the outside of the
cosmic creation. All these [aspects] of Him and the universe
originating
from Him together constitute the Complete Reality [Om purnam,
see also the S'rî
Îs'opanishad and 2.1:
24]. (13)
That assemblage
of the universe known by many names [like purusha and
virâth rûpa] is the Supreme Master, the Ultimate
Truth of His person, the unborn self-effulgent one who is the oldest.
By means of His external energy He gives rise to birth, death and
maintenance while He remains
aloof, inactive and
untouched by dint of His
spiritual
potency [compare 1.7: 23]. (14) For the
purpose of being freed from karma
[fruitive labor] all sages therefore to begin with request [people] to
engage in [nonprofit, charitable, voluntary] activities [in karma-yoga].
A
person
thus
engaged
almost
always
will
become
indifferent
[about
performing
work
with
an
ulterior motive, see also 1.5:
12, 1.2:
13 and B.G. 3:
9, 6:
3, 3:
6]. (15)
Because
He in His completeness is fully
satisfied from
within, the Supreme Lord, the Master [of yoga], never gets entangled in
the matters He is engaged in and that is why people who follow Him
never
get discouraged. (16) I surrender myself to Him who
free from selfhood acts to our benefit, to Him who is complete in His
knowledge, He who has no desire to enjoy, is fulfilled and is not led
by others. I offer my obeisances to that
master
of
all
principles
and
duties
who
is there to instruct all of mankind and lay out His
path.'
(17) S'rî S'uka said: 'When the Asuras saw how he [Svâyambhuva Manu] concentrated his mind with the philosophical
mantras, the
evil spirits chased him in order to devour him. (18) But
Yajña
[Vishnu], the
Supreme Personality, the Lord in the heart of everyone,
saw what the Asuras had in mind and killed them. Thereafter He ruled
the heavenly worlds surrounded by the gods [named] the Yâmas [the
ones sworn, His sons].
(19) Svârocisha, the son of Agni
became the second Manu. From his loins the sons
headed by Dyumat, Sushena and Rocishmat were born. (20)
In
that
period [of
Manu] Rocana [the son of Yajña] became the king of heaven [the
Indra], Tushita and others faithful to the Absolute
Truth were the gods, while
Ûrja, Stambha and others were the seven sages. (21)
From the
saint
Vedas'irâ impregnating his wife Tushitâ, the
Lord was born who is known as Vibhu. (22) From Him remaining a celibate brahmacârî, eighty-eight
thousand
saintly
persons
fixed in that vow took initiation and
instruction.
(23) The third Manu was named
Uttama, he was a son of Priyavrata [see 5.1] and from him the sons called
Pavana, S'rîñjaya, Yajñahotra and others were
born. (24) The
seven sages [during his reign] were the sons
of Vasishthha headed by Pramada. The Satyas, Vedas'rutas and
Bhadras were the gods and Satyajit was the Indra. (25)
[In this manvantara]
the Supreme Lord, the Personality
of Godhead celebrated as Satyasena was born from the womb of Sûnritâ and the demigod Dharma. He appeared together with the
Satyavratas. (26) He together with his friend Satyajit [as the
Indra] killed
all the Yakshas and Râkshasas, the sworn liars and evil
spirits, who with their misconduct constantly harassed the living
beings.
(27) The fourth Manu was the brother of
Uttama known by the name of Tâmasa. He fathered ten
sons headed by
Prithu, Khyâti, Nara and Ketu. (28) The Satyakas,
the Haris and the Vîras were the gods, Tris'ikha was the king of
heaven and the seven sages during the reign of Tâmasa were
headed by Jyotirdhâma. (29)
The [other] gods were called
the Vaidhritis. They were the sons of Vidhriti oh King, who
by their own strength managed to protect the
Vedas that over time had been lost.
(30) In
that period the
Supreme Lord appeared who was begotten by Harimedhâ in the womb of
Harinî. He
was called Hari. Gajendra the king of the elephants, was freed by Him from the mouth of a crocodile [for a description of the
fifth and sixth Manu see chapter 7.5].'
(31) The honorable king [Parîkchit] said: 'Oh
son of Vyâsa, we would like to hear from you how the king of the
elephants who was harassed
by a crocodile, was delivered by
the Lord? (32) Whenever
and
wherever
there
are
the
narrations
in which Hari, the
Supreme Personality, Uttamas'loka [the Lord Praised in the Verses] is
glorified,
great piety, fortune, auspiciousness and virtue are found.' "
(33) S'rî Sûta said: "By
the
words
of
Parîkchit who
awaited his impending death thus
being encouraged to speak dear brahmins, the son of Vyâsa after complimenting him spoke with great
pleasure to the sages who had
assembled there with the desire to listen."
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