Manvan- taras

मनुः [मन्-उ Uṇ.1.1]

1 N. of a celebrated per- sonage regarded as the representative man and father of the human race (sometimes regarded as one of the divine beings).

-2 Particularly, the fourteen successive progenitors or sovereigns of the earth mentioned in Ms.1.63. (The first Manu called स्वायंभुवमनु is supposed to be a sort of secondary creator, who produced the ten Prajapatis or Maharṣis and to whom the code of laws known as Manusmriti is ascribed. The seventh Manu called वैवस्वतमनु, being supposed to be born from the sun, is regarded as the progenitor of the present race of living beings and was saved from a great flood by Viṣṇu in the form of a fish; cf. मत्स्यावतार; he is also regarded as the founder of the solar race of kings who ruled at Ayodhyā; see U.6.18; R.1.11; विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवे$ब्रवीत् Bg.4.1. The names of the fourteen Manus in order are:-- 1 स्वायंभुव, 2 स्वारोचिष, 3 औत्तमि, 4 तामस, 5 रैवत, 6 चाक्षुष, 7 वैवस्वत, 8 सावर्णि, 9 दक्षसावर्णि, 1 ब्रह्मसावर्णि, 11 धर्मसावर्णि, 12 रुद्रसावर्णि, 13 रौच्य-दैवसावर्णि and 14 इंद्रसावर्णि).

-3 A symbolical expression for the number 'fourteen'.

-4 A man, mankind (opp. evil spirits); मनवे शासदव्रतान् Ṛv.1.13.8.

-5 Thought, thinking or mental faculty (Ved.).

-6 A prayer, sacred text or spell (मन्त्र); मनुं साधयतो राज्यं नाकपृष्ठमनाशके Mb.13.7.18.

-7 (pl.) Mental powers; देहो$सवो$क्षा मनवो भूतमात्रा नात्मानमन्यं च विदुः परं यत् Bhāg.6.4.25.

-नुः f. The wife of Manu.

-Comp. -अन्तरम् the period or age of a Manu; (this period, according to Ms.1.79, comprises 4,32, human years or 1/14th day of Brahmā, the fourteen Manvan- taras making up one whole day; each of these fourteen periods is supposed to be presided over by its own Manu; six such periods have already passed away; we are at present living in the seventh, and seven more are yet to come); मन्वन्तरं तु दिव्यानां युगानामेकसप्ततिः Ak.

-जः a man, mankind. ˚अधिपः, ˚अधिपतिः, ˚ईश्वरः, ˚पतिः, ˚राजः a king, sovereign. ˚लोकः the world of men; i. e. the earth.

-जा a woman.

-जातः a man.

-ज्येष्ठः a sword.

-प्रणीत a. taught or expounded by Manu.

-भूः a man, mankind.

-राज् m. an epithet of Kubera.

-श्रेष्ठः an epithet of Viṣṇu.

-संहिता, -स्मृतिः the code of laws ascribed to the first Manu, the institutes of Manu.