Manu (Hinduism)

This article is about concept of Manu in Hinduism. For Surya's son and the current Manu, see Vaivasvata Manu. For other uses, see Manu.

Manu (Sanskrit: मनु) is a term found with various meanings in Hinduism. In early texts, it refers to the archetypal man, or the first man (progenitor of humanity). The Sanskrit term for 'human', मनुष्य (IAST: manuṣya) or मानव (IAST: mānava) means 'of Manu' or 'children of Manu'.[1] In later texts, Manu is the title or name of fourteen rulers of earth, or alternatively as the head of dynasties that begin with each cyclic kalpa (aeon) when the universe is born anew.[1] The title of the text Manusmriti uses this term as a prefix, but refers to the first Manu – Svayambhuva, the spiritual son of Brahma.[2][3] In the Hindu cosmology, each kalpa consists of fourteen Manvantaras, and each Manvantara is headed by a different Manu.[1] The current universe, is asserted to be ruled by the 7th Manu named Vaivasvata.[2] Vaivasvata was the king of Dravida before the great flood.[4] He was warned of the flood by the Matsya (fish) avatar of Vishnu, and built a boat that carried the Vedas, Manu's family and the seven sages to safety, helped by Matsya. The tale is repeated with variations in other texts, including the Mahabharata and a few other Puranas.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  2. ^ a b Roshen Dalal (2010). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin Books. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6.
  3. ^ Witzel, Michael (1995). "Ṛgvedic history: Poets, chieftains and polities". In George Erdosy (ed.). The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity. Indian Philology and South Asian Studies, Vol. 1. Berlin: De Gruyter. pp. 307–352. doi:10.1515/9783110816433-019. ISBN 9783110144475.
  4. ^ Daniélou, Alain (11 February 2003). A Brief History of India. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-59477-794-3.
  5. ^ Klaus K. Klostermaier (5 July 2007). A Survey of Hinduism (Third ed.). SUNY Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7914-7082-4.