Manu (Hinduism)

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Matsya saves Manu and the seven wise men. Indian painting around 1870

Manu ( Sanskrit : मनु Manu m. "Human", "humanity") is the progenitor of humans in Hinduism . Fourteen different Manu are distinguished, each at the beginning of a new humanity. Manu is considered to be the mythical author of the Indian code of law Manusmriti .

Manvantara

In the Hindu system of ages, there is a period which, according to Manu, is called Manvantara, "Manu period". The length of this period is disclosed in the different sources and therefore takes a Mahayuga (4.32 million years), a quarter Kalpa or 71 Yuga. Each manvantara ends with a great flood. At the beginning of each Manvantara there is a different Manu, each with a nickname. Manu Vaivasvata is the Manu of today's Manvantara and the seventh in the series. Seven more manus will follow. The names of the 14 manus are:

  1. Swayambhuva ( स्वायम्भुव svāyambhuva )
  2. Swarochisha ( स्वारोचिष svārociṣa )
  3. Auttami ( औत्तमि auttami )
  4. Tamasa ( तामस tāmasa )
  5. Raivata ( रैवत raivata )
  6. Chakshusha ( चाक्षुष cākṣuṣa )
  7. Vaivasvata ( वैवस्वत ) or Satyavrata ( सत्यव्रत )
  8. Savarni ( सावर्णि sāvarṇi )
  9. Daksha-savarni ( दक्ष-सावर्णि dakṣa-sāvarṇi )
  10. Brahma-savarni ( ब्रह्म-सावर्णि brahma-sāvarṇi )
  11. Dharma-savarni ( धर्म-सावर्णि dharma-sāvarṇi )
  12. Rudra-savarni ( रुद्र-सावर्णि rudra-sāvarṇi )
  13. Rauchya ( रौच्य raucya ) or Deva-savarni ( देव-सावर्णि deva-sāvarṇi )
  14. Bhautya ( भौत्य bhautya ) or Indra-savarni ( इन्द्र-सावर्णि indra-sāvarṇi )

Of these fourteen manus only the first manu Svayambhuva still plays an important role in Hindu mythology.

The four manus Daksha-savarni , Brahma-savarni , Dharma-savarni and Rudra-savarni are known as the Merusavarnas .

Manu Vaivasvata

Manu Vaivasvata is the son of the sun god Vivasvat and brother of the god of the dead Yama . He has several sons and a daughter named Ida . She married Budha , the son of the moon god Chandra , and through him became the ancestor of the mythical moon dynasty (Chandravamsha). Her brother Ikshvaku, on the other hand, is the progenitor of the mythical sun dynasty (Suryavamsha).

Manu Vaivasvata is considered to be the first ruler of the people, while his brother Yama is the ruler of the dead. Manu raised the fish Matsya, an avatar of the god Vishnu . When Matsya became huge, he warned Manu of an existing deluge and advised him to build a ship. During the flood all living things drowned, but Matsya pulled the ship with Manu and the seven wise men to the Himalayas . There are different versions of this flood legend, one of which can be found in the Indian national epic Mahabharata .

Indo-European roots

In the reconstructed Indo-European mythology , * Monus is the first person. The male name Manus-čiθra , handed down in the Iranian Avesta , indicates that this mythical prehistoric man is of Indo-Iranian origin. The prehistoric man Mannus is attested for the Teutons . It is not certain whether the Phrygian Manes may also be produced here.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manu . In: John Dowson : A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. Trübner & co., London 1879, pp. 199-201 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).
  2. ↑ JP Mallory, DO Adams: Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture. Fitzroy Dearborn, London 1997, ISBN 1-884964-98-2 , p. 367.