Manu
MANU
MANU . There is no general agreement on the origin and etymology of the Sanskrit name Manu. It obviously is related to the verbal root man-, "think," and to various words meaning "human being, man," including manuṣa, manuṣya, and so on.
As early as the Ṛgveda (c. 1200 bce), expressions such as "Father Manu [or Manuṣ]" seem to indicate that Manu was already conceived at that time as the progenitor of the human race. As such, he has often been compared with Mannus, the "origo gentis" in Tacitus's Germania (2.3). Manu most definitely is characterized as the father of mankind in a well-known story from the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (1.8.1), dating to around 900 bce. Following the advice of a fish, Manu builds a ship and, with the fish's help, survives the great flood alone among men. After the water recedes, he worships and performs penance. As a result, a woman, Iḍā (also Iḷā or Ilā), is produced, by whom "he begets this offspring of Manu."
Manu was not only the first man but also the first king. All royal lineages, in some way or other, descend from him. His principal son, Ikṣvāku, reigned at Ayodhyā. One of Ikṣvāku's sons, Vikukṣi, carried on the Aikṣvāku dynasty, also known as the solar race, at Ayodhyā, whereas his other son, Nimi, established the dynasty of Videha. Manu's second son, Nābhānediṣṭha, founded the kingdom of Vaiśāli; his third son, Śaryāti, the kingdom of Ānanta; and his fourth son, Nābhāga, the dynasty of the Rathītaras. Manu's "daughter," Iḍā, also had a son, Purūravas, who became the founder of the Aila, or lunar race, at Pratiṣṭhāna. Purūravas's romance with the apsara Urvaśī became one of the most popular stories in Sanskrit literature.
Certain texts refer to Manu as being the first to have kindled the sacrificial fire. According to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (1.5.1.7), "Manu, indeed, worshiped with sacrifices in the beginning; imitating that, this offspring of his performs sacrifices." More particularly, Manu's name is connected with the origin of the Śrāddha, the ritual for the dead (Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 2.7.16.1).
In addition, Manu is considered to have been the originator of social and moral order. Many texts quote maxims relating to various aspects of dharma, and attribute them to Manu. In this connection he also became the ṛṣi who revealed the most authoritative of the Dharmaśāstras.
In later literature Manu—or rather a succession of Manus—can be seen to play a role in the Hindu cyclical view of time. Each kalpa, or "day," of Brahmā, corresponding to one thousand caturyuga s or mahāyuga s, is divided into fourteen manvantara s, "periods of Manu." In the most sophisticated system a manvantara consists of seventy-one caturyuga s, or 306,720,000 human years. The manvantara s are separated by fifteen transitional periods (Skt., saṃdhi s) of four-tenths of a caturyuga. Each manvantara is presided over by a different Manu. In the present Śvatavārāhakalpa, six manvantara s have by now elapsed (presided over by Svāyambhuva, Svārociṣa, Auttami, Tāmasa, Raivata, and Cākṣuṣa, respectively). The present, seventh Manu is Manu Vaivasvata, who will be succeeded by Sāvarṇi, Dakṣasāvarṇi, Brahmasāvarṇi, Dharmasāvarṇi, Rudrasāvarṇi, Raucya or Devasāvarṇi, and Bhautya or Indrasāvarṇi.
See Also
Bibliography
Many Sanskrit passages dealing with Manu have been collected and translated in John Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. 1 (1872; reprint, Amsterdam, 1967). See also Georg Bühler's introduction to The Laws of Manu (1886), "Sacred Books of the East," vol. 25 (reprint, Delhi, 1964).
New Sources
The Laws of Manu. Introduction and notes translated by Wendy Doniger with Brian K. Smith. London; New York, 1991.
Ludo Rocher (1987)
Revised Bibliography
Manu
Manu
Nationality/Culture
Hindu
Pronunciation
MAN-oo
Alternate Names
Satyavrata
Appears In
The Mahabharata
Lineage
Created from Brahma
Character Overview
In Hindu mythology, Brahma (pronounced BRAH-muh) split himself in two to create Manu, the first man, and Shatarupa (pronounced shuh-TAH-roo-puh), the first woman. Manu and Shatarupa gave life to all humans. According to legend, Manu was the earth's first king and the ancestor of all the kings of India.
The most famous tale involving Manu tells of a great flood that destroyed everything on earth. One day Manu was washing his hands in a bowl of water when he saw a tiny fish there. The fish pleaded with Manu to be placed in a larger vessel of water to survive. In return, the fish promised to save Manu from a great flood that was to come and carry away all living beings. Manu put the fish in a bigger bowl, but the fish grew so rapidly that he had to transfer it to an even larger tank. The fish continued to grow until Manu eventually threw it into the sea. At that point, the fish—who was actually a form of the god Vishnu (pronounced VISH-noo)—told Manu that he should build a great ship to save himself from the coming flood. He also instructed Manu to take into the ship two of each animal on the earth as well as seeds from every kind of plant.
When the flood came, Manu used a rope to tie his boat to a large horn growing out of the fish. Pulling the ship through the rough waters, the fish came to the Himalaya mountains. There it told Manu to tie the ship to one of the mountains and wait until the waters receded. After the flood, Manu became lonely because only he and the animals aboard the ship had survived. He offered a sacrifice and was rewarded with a wife, with whom he began to repopulate the earth.
Manu in Context
As the first man, Manu is also credited as the inventor of many of the basic rules of social and religious conduct. In this way, Manu served as ultimate authority on proper behavior among ancient Hindus. The traditions credited to Manu reflect the culture in which they were written, and many are noted by modern scholars as attempts to restrict the freedom of women.
Key Themes and Symbols
One of the main themes of the myth of Manu is destruction and renewal. All living things on earth, with the exception of those taken aboard by Manu, are killed in the flood. Manu must then repopulate the earth with the living things he saved. In Hindu mythology, Manu represents truth, wisdom, and virtue. Manu also serves as a father figure for all humankind.
Manu in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life
Although Manu was the father of mankind, he is not featured heavily in Hindu art, literature, or worship. He is believed to be the author of the ancient book called the Manusmriti (pronounced mah-noo-SMRIT-ee). This book contains basic codes of behavior for all Hindus to follow.
Read, Write, Think, Discuss
One of the main themes of the myth of Manu is destruction and renewal, or death and birth. As a major concern among humans everywhere, this theme is central to most world religions. Hinduism and Christianity have very different views of life and death, and of life after death. Using your library, the Internet, or other available resources, research how issues of life and death are depicted in Hinduism and Christianity. What are the similarities and contrasts? Do you think that what people believe about the afterlife influences the way they live their lives?
SEE ALSO Adam and Eve; Floods; Hinduism and Mythology; Noah
Manu
Manu
In Hindu mythology, the gods created Manu, the first man, who gave life to all humans. According to legend, he was the earth's first king and the ancestor of all the kings of India. The most famous tale involving Manu tells of a great flood that destroyed everything on earth.
One day Manu was washing his hands in a bowl of water when he saw a tiny fish there. The fish pleaded with Manu to be placed in a larger vessel of water to survive. In return, the fish promised to save Manu from a great flood that was to come and carry away all living beings. Manu put the fish in a bigger bowl, but the fish grew so rapidly that he had to transfer it to an even larger tank. The fish continued to grow until Manu eventually threw it into the sea. At that point, the fish told him that he should build a great ship to save himself from the coming flood. He also instructed Manu to take into the ship two of each animal on the earth as well as seeds from every kind of plant.
When the flood came, Manu used a rope to tie his boat to a large horn growing out of the fish. Pulling the ship through the rough waters, the fish came to the Himalaya mountains. There it told Manu to tie the ship to one of the mountains and wait until the waters receded. After the flood, Manu became lonely because only he and the animals aboard the ship had survived. He offered a sacrifice and was rewarded with a wife, with whom he began to repopulate the earth.
In several Hindu texts the fish appears as the god Brahma or Vishnu. The story of Manu and the flood also has parallels with the biblical stories of Noah's Ark and Adam and Eve.
See also Adam and Eve; Floods; Hinduism and Mythology; Noah.
Manu
Manu
According to Theosophy, a grade in the theosophical hierarchy below the Planetary Logoi, or Rulers of the Seven Chains. The charge given to Manus is that of forming the different races of humanity and guiding humanity's evolution. Each race has its own Manu, who represents the racial type. This theosophical concept derives from Hindu mythology of Manu (man; thinker), a series of fourteen progenitors of the human race, each creation being destroyed in a Mahayuga (vast cycle of time) involving a deluge.
The Manu of the present creation is Manu Vaivasvata, who built an ark during a cosmic deluge and afterward renewed the human race. He is the reputed author of the Manava Dharma Shastra, or Laws of Manu, an ancient Hindu treatise that prescribes human religious and social duties.
Sources:
Das, Ghagavan. The Science of Social Organisation; or, The Laws of Manu in the Light of Atma-Vidya. 2 vols. Rev. ed. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1932.