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'. 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. The title of the text Manusmriti uses this term as a prefix, but refers to the first Manu – Svayambhuva, the spiritual son of Brahma. In the Hindu cosmology, each kalpa consists of fourteen Manvantaras, and each Manvantara is headed by a different Manu. The current universe is asserted to be ruled by the seventh Manu, named Vaivasvata. Vaivasvata was the king of Dravida before the great flood. 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.
Fourteen Manus There are fourteen Manus that rule in succession during each Kalpa (day of Brahma). The current Kalpa has the following Manus:
Svayambhuva Manu
The first Manu was the mind-born son of the god Brahma, and the husband of Shatarupa. He had three daughters, namely Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. Devahuti was given in marriage to Kardama and she gave birth to nine daughters and a single son named Kapila. Prasuti gave birth to several daughters, including Sati, Khyati, Diti, Aditi, Kadru, Rohini amongst many, and Akuti gave birth to one son named Yajna and one daughter. Both Kapila and Yajna, who were sons of Devahuti and Akuti respectively, were incarnations of Vishnu. Svayambhuva Manu, along with his wife, Satarupa, went into the forest to practice austerities on the bank of the River Sunanda. At some point in time, the Rakshasas attacked them, but Yajna, accompanied by his sons, the demigods, swiftly killed them. Yajna then personally took the post of Indra, the king of the heavenly planets. Svayambhuva Manu's abode is Brahmavarta, with the town of Barhismati as the capital. Barhismati was formed when Vishnu in his cosmic boar form (Varaha) shook his body, causing large strands of hair to fall off of him and turn into the town. The smaller strands that fell off of him became kuśa and kāsa grass. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis were Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha, and Vishnu's avatar is Yajna.
Svarochisha Manu The second Manu, whose name was Svarocisha, was the son of Agni, and His sons were headed by Dyumat, Sushena, and Rochishmat. He invented clothing and made it for mankind. At his deathbed, Sage Devala was born from Shiva's third eye to succeed Svarochisa Manu in making clothes for mankind. Rochana became Indra, the ruler of the heavenly planets, and there were many demigods, headed by Tushita. There were also many saintly persons, such as Urjastambha. Among them was Vedasira, whose wife, Tushita, gave birth to Vibhu, the incarnation of Vishnu for this manvantara. He remained a brahmachari all his life and never married. He instructed eighty-eight thousand dridha-vratas, or saintly persons, on sense-control and austerity. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis are Urjastambha, Agni, Prana, Danti, Rishabha, Nischara, and Charvarivan.
Uttama Manu Uttama, the son of Priyavrata, was the third Manu. Among his sons were Pavana, Srinjaya, and Yajnahotra. The Satyas, Devasrutas, and Bhadras became the demigods, and Satyajit became Indra. From Sunrita, the wife of Dharma, Vishnu appeared as Satyasena, and killed all the evil Rakshasas who created havoc in all the worlds, along with Satyajit. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis are Kaukundihi, Kurundi, Dalaya, Sankha, Pravahita, Mita, and Sammita, the sons of Vashishtha.
Tapasa Manu Tapasa, also called Tamasa, the brother of the third Manu, was the fourth Manu, and he had ten sons, including Prithu, Khyati, Nara and Ketu. During his reign, the Satyakas, Haris, Viras and others were demigods, the seven great saints were headed by Jyotirdhama, and Trisikha became Indra. Harimedha begot a son named Hari, who was the incarnation of Vishnu for this Manvantara, by his wife Harini. Hari was born to liberate the devotee Gajendra. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis are Jyotirdhama, Prithu, Kavya, Chaitra, Agni, Vanaka, and Pivara, and Vishnu's avatar is Hari.
Raivata Manu The fifth manu, Raivata, is the twin brother of Tamasa. His sons were headed by Arjuna, Bali and Vindhya. Among the demigods were the Bhutarayas, and among the seven brahmanas who occupied the seven planets were Hiranyaroma, Vedasira and Urdhvabahu. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis are Hirannyaroma, Vedasrí, Urddhabahu, Vedabahu, Sudhaman, Parjanya, and Mahámuni, and Vishnu's avatar is Vaikuntha.
Chakshusha Manu
The sixth Manu, Chakshusa, is the son of the demigod Chakshu. He had many sons, headed by Puru, Purusa, and Sudyumna. During his reign, the Indra was known as Mantradruma. Among the demigods were the Apyas, and among the great sages were Havisman and Viraka. Chakshusha had a daughter named Jyothishmati, who wished for the most powerful being as her husband. When they asked Indra, the king of the gods, he replied that his own storms could be pushed away by Vayu. Vayu said that his winds could not push away the earth, and thus Bhumavat, the male personification of the earth, was stronger. Bhumavat said that Shesha, who holds both Vishnu and the earth, is the strongest. Shesha told Manu and Jyothishmati that his second avatar on earth would be stronger than himself, and thus Jyothishmati was reborn as Revati to marry that avatar, Krishna's brother Balarama. In this manvantara, the Saptarshis are Sumedhas, Virajas, Havishmat, Uttama, Madhu, Abhináman, and Sahishnnu, and Vishnu's avatar is Ajita.
Vaivasvata Manu
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