MANVANTARAS AND 7 or 14 MANUS
The book Religious Consciousness writes: “Great time-period known as ‘kalpa’ which is the whole day of Brahma, is divided into 14 parts, each one of them being presided over by one specific Manu, i.e., ‘Manvantara’. The present time falls within the reign of Manu Vaivasvata and is therefore in all declaratory formulae mentioned as such by the worshipper. The age (yuga) is Kali. 14 ‘manvantaras’ occurring during one day of Brahma which is 1000 times the period of the four Yugas together (Manu, I, 72-3, BhG, VIII,17) Brahma’s day is called a ‘kalpa’, at the end of which occurs what is known as ‘Mahapralaya’ or even simply as ‘pralaya’ or flood or qayamat of Muslims. Though the full traditional quota of Manus for a whole ‘kalpa’ is 14 (S. Chitrav’s Pracinocaritrakosa, pg. 428), it appears that in the earlier literature there is no mention of more than 7 of them.”
This again shows there are 14 Manus who are guardians of each Manvantara, but at times it is said they are 7, as the 14 have 7 names. In fact, there are 7 Noorani Roohs who came in 14 bodies.
It is further written: “Tradition gives a set of seven great sages to every one of the ‘manvantaras’ (Chitra V, loc. Cit., pp. 429-31). They have a function to discharge in the creative process and in the governance of the cosmos.” It is said that present Kalpa is called ‘Svetavaraha’ and is so announced in every declaring formula.
Chapter III of The Vishnu Purana says that the four Yugas will comprise of 12000 years; Krita Age has 4000 years; the Treta 3000; the Dwapara 2000; and the Kali Age 1000.
1000 of these 12000 years constitute a day of Brahma and 14 Manus reign within that term (1000x12000).”
Dowson describes Manu in the following words: “(From the root man, to think.) ‘The man.’ This name belongs to the 14 mythological progenitors of mankind and rulers of earth, each of whom holds sway for the period called a Manvantara (manu-antara), the age of a Manu, i.e., a period of no less than 4,320,000 years. The first of these Manus was Swayam-bhuva, who sprang from Swayambhu, the self-existent. The self-existent, as identified with Brahma the creator, divided himself into two persons, male and female. From this pair was produced the male Viraj, and from him sprang the Manu Swayambhuva. As the acting creator, this Manu produced the ten Prajapatis or progenitors of mankind, called also Maharshis (maha-rishis). According to another account, this Manu sprang from the incestuous intercourse of Brahma with his daughter and wife, Sata-rupa. Brahma created himself Manu, “born of and identical with his original self, and the female portion of himself he constituted Sata-rupa,” whom Manu took to wife. The law-book commonly known as Manu is ascribed to this Manu, and so also is a Sutra work on ritual bearing the same name. The Manu of the present age is the seventh, name Vaivaswata, ‘sun-born,’ who was the son of Vivaswat, the Sun, and he is a kshattriya by race. He is also called Satya-vrata. There are various legends about his having been saved from a great flood by Vishnu or Brahma. The names of the 14 Manus are – (1) Swayam-bhuva, (2) Swarochisha, (3). Auttami, (4) Tamasa, (5) Raivata, (6) Chakshusha, (7) Vaivaswata or Satya-vrata, (8) Savarna, (9). Daksha-savarna, (10) Brahma-savarna, (11) Dharma-savarna, (12). Savaran or Rudra-savarna, (13) Rauchya, (14) Bhautya.
The sons of Manu Vaivaswata were – Ikshwaku, Nabhaga or Nriga, Dhrishta, Saryati, Narishyanta, Pransu, Nabhaganedishta or Nabhanedishta, Karusha, and Prishadhra. But there is some variation in the names.
With the seventh Manu, Vaivaswata, is connected the very curious and interesting legend of the deluge. The first account of this is found in the Satapatha brahmana, of which the following is a summary: One morning, in the water which was brought to Manu for washing his hands, he caught a fish which spake, and said, “Take care of me and I will preserve thee.” Manu asked, “From what wilt thou preserve me?” The fish answered, “A flood will carry away all living beings; I will save thee from that.” The fish desired Manu to keep him alive in an earthen vessel, to remove him to a dyke as he grew larger, and eventually to the ocean, “so that he might be beyond the risk of destruction.” The fish grew rapidly, and again addressed Manu, saying, “After so many years the deluge will take place; then construct a ship and pay me homage, and when the waters rise, go into the ship and I will rescue thee.” Manu did as he was desired; he built the ship, conveyed the fish to the ocean, and did him homage. The flood rose, and Manu fastened the cable of the ship to the fish’s horn. Thus he passed over the northern mountain (the Himalaya, as the commentator explains). The fish then desired Manu to fasten the ship to a tree, and to go down with the subsiding waters. He did so, and found that the flood had swept away all living creatures. He alone was left. Desirous of offspring, he offered sacrifice and engaged in devotion. A woman was produced, who came to Manu and declared herself his daughter. “With her he lived, worshipping and toiling in arduous religious rites, desirous of offspring. With her he begat the offspring which is the offspring of Manu.”
The aforementioned description is mostly based on legends but even then it gels with our theory. It is stated that the 14 are the 14 mythological progenitors of mankind and rulers of earth. It is stated that the first of these sprang from the Self-Existent viz. Manifest Self. We have said how the Manifest Self was created by God. This Self-existent created a Light called Brahma (Noor-e-Mohammadi) which divided into two lights, exactly similar to the first light. Part of one Light got united with the other light to produce male and female (Noor of Ali and Fatima). Keep in mind that at no place it is said that one divided into two by progeny. However, when the male and female were created, more were created out of progeny. See the wordings “Brahma created himself Manu, “born of and identical with his original self, and the female portion of himself he constituted Sata-rupa,” whom Manu took to wife.” As regards to myths like Brahma’s incestuous relationship with his daughter, that is a result of confusion created because of people’s inability to understand the described process.
See the term “born of and identical with his original self’, this is the talk of One Noor dividing into two Noors exactly similar to the one from whom division took place. This is exactly similar to Mohammad saying that Ali and he were created from the same Noor and all are Mohammads [same]. Then there is talk of a female portion (Noor of Fatima) and she becoming wife of Manu i.e. Ali.
The legend of the deluge that is related to the present Manu too has been mixed up. It is truly the narration of Prophet Nooh or Noah’s time when the great flood came. This event is described both in Quran and Bible in more or less the same manner. Somehow, it got linked with the Manu. Is it because Noorani Rooh of Manu was in Nooh?
Chapter III of Vishnu Purana further states:
Other Seven Rishis, certain divinities, Indra, Manu, and his sons, are created and perish at one period; and the interval, called a Manvantara, is equal to seventy-one times the number of years contained in the four Yugas, with some additional years: this is the duration of a Manu, the (attendant) divinities, and the rest, which is equal to 852,000 divine years, or to 306,720,000 years of mortals, independent of the additional period. Fourteen times this period constitutes a Brahma day, that is, a day of Brahma; the term (Brahma) being the derivative form. At the end of this day a dissolution of the universe occurs, when all the three worlds, earth and the regions of space, are consumed with fire.
The dwellers of Maharloka (the region inhabited by the saints who survive the world), distressed by the heat, repair then to Janaloka (the region of holy men after their decease). When the three worlds are but one mighty ocean, Brahma, who is one with Narayana, satiate with the demolition of the universe, sleeps upon his serpent-bed – contemplated, the lotus born, by the ascetic inhabitants of the Janaloka – for a night of equal during with his day; at the close of which he creates anew. Of such days and nights is a year of Brahma composed; and a hundred such years constitute his whole life. One Paraddha, or half his existence, has expired, terminating with the Maha Kalpa called Padma. The Kalpa (or the day of Brahma) termed Varaha is the first of the second period of Brahma’s existence.
Isn’t it clear from the aforementioned description that the Divinities were created prior to all else and they will be the last to merge with the Manifest Self.
Another interesting observation comes from Vishnu Purana which describes the 7 Manvantaras in Book III, Chapter I. It is explicitly said that in each of the Manvantaras, the deities who were created had different names. The 7 Manvantaras are described as (i) Svayambhuva, (ii) Svarochisha, (iii) Auttami, (iv) Tamasa; (v) Raivata; (vi) Chakshusha, and (vii) Vaivasvata (the son of the sun). What is most interesting to note is that Indra is the king of Devatas in all the manvantaras, though he was known by different names. Also, we find Manu’s mention in each who is the father of several divinities. In various Manvantaras, ‘Indra, the king of Devas’ (these are the words of the Purana) is said to be known by different names like Susant, Sivi, Vibu and Manojava. In the seventh Manvantara, which is the present Manvantara, it is said that deities are the ‘Adityas, Vasus and Rudras; their sovereign is Purandara: Vasistha, Kasyapa, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama, Viswamitra and Bhardwaja are the 7 Rishis and the 9 pious sons of Vaivasvata Manu are the kings Ishvaku, Nabhaga, Dhrshta, Sanyati, Narishyanta, Nabhanidishta, Karusha, Drishadhna and the celebrated Vasumat.”
Though it is not stated explicitly, the fact that the presence of Indra as a deity is confirmed, we can easily conclude that Indra is the king of Devatas in this Manvantara as well as he was in all previous Manvantaras, as we already know who are the Adityas, Vasus and Rudras, referred to as the Divine Deities for this Manvantara. If you read Chapter XI of Gita, you will see that the presence of Adityas, Vasus and Rudras has been confirmed by it.
Now see this in the light of a simple statement from The Matsya Purana which says that in all the Manvantara classes of Rishis appear by 7 and 7, and having established a code of law and morality, depart to felicity. Interestingly, if you look at the pattern in which the Ahlulbayt arrived, they too came as 14 but had 7 names, repeating in the 14 (appeared by 7 and 7; 7 spirits coming in 14 bodies).
The Vishnu Purana further states that Yajna (meaning sacrifice, therefore it can be inferred that Husain or Agni are referred to) was born in the Svayambhuva Manvantara, as the will-begotten progeny of Akuti. When the Svarochisha Manvantara had arrived, that divine Yajna was born as Ajita, along with the Tushita gods (devas), the sons of Tushita. In the third Manvantara, Tushita was again born of Satya, as Satya, along with the class of deities so denominated. In the next period, Satya became Hari, along with the Haris, the children of Hari. The excellent Hari was again born in the Raivata Manvantara of Sambhuti as Manas along with the gods (devas) called Abhuturajas. In the next period, Vishnu was born of Vikunthi, as Vaikuntha. In the present Manvantara, Vishnu was again born as Vamana, the son of Kasyapa by Aditi.
This also proves that Agni is also known as Vamana in this Manvantara. Kasyapa too is the name for Noor of Ali and Aditi is Noor of Fatima. Aditi is referred to by various names including Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, Lakshmi, Sita, Radha, Indrayani, etc.
Since the purpose of establishing a code of law and morality is their responsibility, we can safely assume that all those Prophets and Apostles who came to establish a code of law and morality had some relation to them. Is this why they were called Avatars of Vishnu; we leave it to you decide? Finally, when it is time for the Devatas to come on earth themselves, they appear in person, as normal human beings, to establish a code of law and morality. That is exactly what happened in the case of Ahlulbayt. They gave a code of law and morality as had never been given before. But the force of Zulmat used all its potencies to see to it that the force of their message is minimized.
The Vishnu Purana also establishes that in each of the Manvantaras, Vishnu divides the same Vedas into four parts, to adept it to the capacities of various people in differing times. Muslims believe that Quran is the one book that had been there right from the beginning of the creation and confirm to four Divine Books, the last of which was Quran. Vedas of present certainly have some relation to God as they introduce these Devatas and go to the extent of foretelling the events of their lives, but cannot be considered among the four books of law, as they do not give a code of law and morality.
A verse of Matsya Purana explicitly tells the relationship between Devatas with the Prophets. See I.IV.19-20:
In that body you (deva of love) will have a series of enjoyments and afterwards you will be born as the son of Vatsa in the family of King Bharata. After this, you will live the time of dissolution that will close the reign of Vidyadharas (the bearers of knowledge) and then you will again come back to me.
The reign of Vidyadharas, (bearers of knowledge or Vidya) is being talked about. It is evident that there will be more than one Vidyadharas. Consequent to their rule, the world will go through dissolution.
Vishnu Purana too states that Prajapati Brahma’s material body consists of five elements – Ether, Air, Earth, Water and Fire. Brahma seems to be a collective name of all 5 while Vishnu is the original Manifest Self of the Unmanifest God, which created the One Light viz. Brahma from which, after division, 5 selfs were created, which later became 14. We will see in Vedas that the term Brahma has also been used for Mohammad. This gives credence to the belief of some segment of Muslims who are of opinion that the Noor of Mohammad was created at the beginning of creation, and Ali’s Noor was created through the division of the Noor of Mohammad. Mohammad reiterated on several occasions that Fatima was a part of him. She got married to Ali. It was Mohammad’s Noor that divided into two and then part of one of them joined with the second division to create the Noors of the remaining Ahlulbayt. Likewise, Upanishads and Vedas too confirm that the 14 Devatas emanated from the Brahma’s Self or Noor; these included Indra (who too is a name of Mohammad, just as Brahma is another of his name.) Fact is that Indo-Aryan literature has given names to each of the processes, which is the cause of confusion.
Writes RC Hazra: “The name Panca-ratra for a particular class of the Vaishnavs and their literature, had its origin from the above idea of Prajapati Brahma’s material body consisting of five elements called ratris.” These Panca-ratras are nothing but the Panj-tan or ‘Five Bodies’ of the Muslims.
HH Wilson states in his commentary on Vishnu Purana that the Vedic God Prajapati who was regarded as father of creation and as Svayambhu (Self-born) came later to be identified as Brahma, the creator. Five Devatas were created from Brahma, but there were 9 more mind-born sons of Brahma who were entrusted by Brahma with the work of creation; they came to be known as ‘Nine Brahmas’ (nava Brahmanah) and consequently the original Brahma became the Pitamaha (grandfather) in relation to the created beings.
In his introduction to The Vishnu Purana, RC Hazra, described in the book as the Professor, Department of Post-Graduate Training and Research, Sanskrit College, Calcutta, writes: “The personification in the cases of these abstract mystical figures is so complete in the epics and the Puranas including our Vishnu (Purana) that their genealogies have been conceived of and actually worked out and given in a number of cases.”
He further states: “From the occasional statements made in the epics and the Puranas about these mystical figures, it is evident that they are not mythical or historical persons allegorized later on for their significant names, but they owe their origin definitely to the personification of some natural objects or phenomena, or of certain principles or forces of Nature, or of some states or conditions or purely abstract notions. That the orthodox tradition about the original nature of these mystical figures was completely in agreement with this view is shown by the remarks made by the commentators on some of these works. It is gratifying to note that this personification did not proceed from childish imagination but has a sound philosophical basis.”
Unaware about these personalities taking birth in this world, even people like RC Hazra who have come this close, are groping in the dark about the true identity of these Devatas. The Forces of Darkness worked hard to obliterate the names of the Devatas because they knew cognizing the true identity of Devatas (Forces of Light) was the defeat of the Forces of Darkness. Attempt was made not only to obliterate their name and position wherever they were introduced but when the Devatas came to earth in person, all together, all forces were unleashed so as to restrict cognizance of their path to the extent possible. Those who embraced their teachings i.e. the Muslims were deviated in one direction or the other; some rejected them, some started worshipping them as before, some accepted few and rejected others, some enhanced the position of few common men to their levels while a sect deified them but forgot the purpose why they went through all the hardships i.e. lead us to the obedience and worship of Almighty God.
RC Hazra too confirms that even Bhagavad-Gita refers to these persons. See his views: “The Bhagavad-Gita (X-4-7, 32-39) tells us that Paramatma or Bhagavad is all-comprising and all powerful and that the entire creation, subjective, or objective, abstract or concrete, proceeds from Him and is as conscious as His own Self. So, according to the Bhagavad-Gita, all faculties, virtues and vices, originating from the Bhagavad’s conscious Self, are conscious; and as some of them are sometimes found to proceed from others of their respective classes, it is no wonder that in the epics and the Puranas these have been looked upon as sentient beings and their genealogies have been fabricated and recorded like those of men and gods.”
Such is the confusion that various scholars who try to solve this mystery come close yet deviate. This is just because of a missing link which is too vital to be ignored. HH Wilson, whose commentary of Vishnu Purana we used for our study, has also written the commentary of Rig Veda. Yet, he continues to grope in the dark as he was unaware of the true identities of the divine personalities talked about all through the Vedas, Upanishads and elsewhere. He confesses that he is unable to understand their true subject or purpose: “It is yet, however, scarcely safe to advance an opinion of the precise belief or philosophy which they (Vedas) inculcate,” says he in his preface to the Vishnu Purana.
Further, he writes: “But the worship of deified heroes is no part of the system; nor are the incarnations of deities suggested in any portion of the text which I have yet seen, though such are sometimes hinted at by the commentators.”
Then, he writes: “Still, however, it is true that the prevailing character of the ritual of the Vedas is the worship of the personified elements; Vayu, the air; Varuna, the water; of Aditya, the sun; Soma, the moon; and other elementary and planetary personages. It is also true that worship of the Vedas is for most part domestic worship, consisting of prayers and oblations offered – in their own houses, not in temples – by individuals for individual good, and addressed to unreal presences, not to visible types. In a word, the religion of the Vedas was not idolatry.”
HH Wilson, the commentator of Vedas and several Puranas has been unable to understand the identity of the Manifest Self of God or the Divine Beings created later and sees all this equivalent to Pantheism. He sees their origin only as ancient myths and primitive traditions. It is evident from his own sentence that the greatest obstacle that is present in front of him is how these patriarchs have posterity? Says he: “It would seem as if a primitive tradition of the descent of mankind from seven holy personages had at first prevailed, but that in the course of time it had been expanded into complicated, and not always consistent, amplification. How could these Rishis or patriarchs have posterity?”
All missing links are being resolved by our study. Now you know how the Rishis or patriarchs who were responsible for our creation also have posterity.
Despite Wilson’s reservations or inability in understanding the truth regarding these Divinities, the prevalence of ‘legends’ is of such high order that it is impossible for him to deny their presence, even though hesitantly. Says he: “These legends, perplexed as they appear to be, seem to admit of allowable solution, in the conjecture that the Prajapatis and Rishis were real personages, the authors of the Hindu system of social, moral, and religious obligations, and the first observers of the heavens, and teachers of astronomical science.
The regal personages of the Svayambhuva Manvantara are but few, but they are described in the outset as governing the earth in the dawn of society, and as introducing agriculture and civilization.”
As we have seen, inability to understand how these Devatas could have posterity created the confusion. The missing link was that they would take birth at a future time. But the huge amount of myths that were in circulation about them coming to earth for the help of kings and men stopped the commentators from concluding that they would take birth at a future time, even when the Vedas talked about this in future tense. It is possible the Devatas kept coming to the aid of worshippers time to time. Several myths also originated because of people’s inability to understand the Vedas. A lot many canards were deliberately created for various reasons that we have described before.
History records that much later than the time of Vedas, and after Puranas were compiled by Vyasa, there was a time when the Vedas had fallen in disuse and forgotten, and the brahmins were again instructed in them by Saraswata, son of Saraswati. It was perhaps this reason why a river was named Saraswati, and a distinguished tribe of the brahmins were known as Saraswata, based on the name of Saraswata who revived the Vedas once they had fallen in disuse. It seems that these brahmins continued to hold on to the real teachings of Vedas till the time of the advent of Prophet Mohammad. We can say this because it was these Saraswata brahmins who went to the aid of Husain, when enemies surrounded him at Karbala. By the time these brahmins reached Karbala, Husain had already been killed. The fact that these Saraswata brahmins, who proudly call themselves Husaini brahmins to this date, realized the true position of Husain through their scriptures can be understood from the fact that they stayed back in Iraq even when they got to know that Husain and his friends had been killed. They played a key part in avenging the killing of Husain. In the process, several of them got killed but they returned to their native country only when they had seen with their eyes that the killers of Husain got killed.
In his commentary of The Vishnu Purana, Wilson even states that the same process of creation is described in the Egyptian and Grecian accounts, thereby confirming our view that the Devatas were introduced in all major civilizations of the world, at one point of time. See what Wilson has written:
“The notion is common to all antiquity, although less philosophically conceived, or perhaps less distinctly expressed, in the passages which have come down to us. Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Plato have all of them asserted a trinity of divine hypostases; and as unquestionably derived much of their doctrine from the Egyptians, it may reasonably be suspected that the Egyptians did the like before them. As however the Grecian accounts, and those of the Egyptians, are much more perplexed and unsatisfactory than those of the Hindus, it is most probable that we find amongst them the doctrine in its most original as well as most methodical and significant form.”
Isn’t it an invitation to explore?
The Purana describes these embodied souls and their relationship with Brahma and Brahma’s relationship with Vishnu, and Vishnu’s relationship with God (the lord of the universe), by saying:
They are severally united but existed as distinguishable according to their qualities, as soothing, terrific, stupefying; but possessing various energies, and being unconnected, they could not, without combination, create living beings, not having blended with each other. Having combined, therefore, with one another, they assumed, through their mutual association, the character of one mass of entire unity; and this all combined together, formed a vast egg called Brahma, and through this Vishnu, the lord of the universe, whose essence is inscrutable, assumed a perceptible form and even he himself abided in it in the character of Brahma. Its womb, vast as the mountain Meru, was composed of the mountains; and the mighty oceans were the waters that filled its cavity. In that egg, O Brahman, were the continents and seas and mountains, the planets and divisions of the universe, the Devatas, the demons and mankind. And this egg was externally invested by seven natural envelopes and by the three-fold embodied soul and the tenfold divinities; next came the principle of intelligence of Mahat; and finally the whole was surrounded by the indiscrete principle: resembling thus the coconut, filled interiorly with pulp and exteriorly covered by husk and rind.
We do not want you to go reading word by word various passages quoted by us because they are largely incomprehensible and confusing. What we want you to do is to see whether the translations are confirming to our observations or not? True content of the scriptures will be known only when they are translated afresh.
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