Stories of Padma Purana: Part-III

**Marudganas and Manvantaras**

Sage Pulastya's account continues with the explanation of the creation of the Marudganas and a detailed overview of the fourteen manvantars:

1. The Marudganas came into existence as a result of Diti's penance, which she undertook to seek revenge against the deities. Sage Kashyapa blessed her with a son who could defeat Indra. However, Indra, realizing Diti's pregnancy, entered her womb and divided the fetus into seven pieces with his Vajra. Each piece transformed into an infant, resulting in a total of 49 crying infants. These infants, named Marudganas by Indra, became immortal due to Diti's devoted observance of the Pournamasi Vrata.

2. Bhisma then inquired about the fourteen manvantars, each governed by a Manu, accompanied by specific deities and saptarishis:

- Swayambhuva Manu presided over the first manvantar, with Yamya as the prominent deity. Marichi and other sages served as the Saptarishis.

- The second manvantar, called Swarochish, was named after Swarochish Manu, with Tushit as the prominent deity. Dattatreya, Atri, Chyavan, and others were the saptarishis.

- In the third manvantar, known as Autam, Autami Manu was the ruler, and Urj and other sages served as the Saptarishis.

- Tamas Manu governed the fourth manvantar, with Akalmash and others as his sons. Kavi, Prithu, Agni, and more were the saptarishis, and Bhargava was the prominent deity.

- The fifth manvantar, called Raivat, was named after Raivat Manu, and Bhutraja and Prakriti were the deities. Devabahu, Subahu, Parjanya, and others served as the saptarishis.

- The sixth manvantar, Chakshush, derived its name from Chakshush Manu, with Ruru as the most prominent son. Bhrigu, Sudhama, Vishnu, and others were the saptarishis.

- The seventh manvantar is the current one, known as Vaivaswat, named after Vaivaswat Manu. The prominent sages or saptarishis include Atri, Vashishtha, Kashyapa, and others.

- The eighth manvantar, called Savarnya, will be named after Savarni Manu, with Ashwatthama, RishyaSringa, and more as saptarishis.

- The ninth manvantar, Rauchya, will be named after Ruchi Manu, with a son named Rauchya and saptarishis like Kaushikya.

- The tenth manvantar, Bhautya, will derive its name from Bhautya Manu, the son of Bhuti.

- The eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth manvantars will be named after Merusavarni, Ribhu, Veetdhama, and Vishkvasen Manus, respectively.

Each of these fourteen Manus governs the world for a specific duration, totaling 1000 Chaturyugas. At the end of their respective rule, they unite with Lord Brahma.

**Sun Dynasty**

Sage Pulastya provided Bhisma with the fascinating story of King Prithu and the origin of the name Prithvi for the Earth, followed by a detailed lineage of the Surya dynasty:

1. Prithu was the son of Vena, who was cursed by sages and subsequently churned into existence by the sages. Prithu, an embodiment of Lord Vishnu, became a just and virtuous king. Witnessing immorality among his subjects, Prithu decided to destroy the Earth. However, Earth, in the form of a cow, fled in fear. Prithu pursued her and, upon her agreement, milked her, transforming her into fertile land. Prithu's reign brought peace and prosperity, and the Earth was named Prithvi in his honor.

2. The Surya dynasty, descending from Surya (Vivaswan), had three queens: Sangya, Ragyi, and Prabha. Ragyi bore Raivat, while Sangya had Vaivaswat Manu, Yama, and Yamuna as her children. To escape the radiance of Surya, Sangya created a shadowy replica named Chhaya, who bore two sons and two daughters: Savarna Manu, Shanaishchar (Saturn), Tapti (river), and Vishti (river).

3. Vaivaswat Manu, son of Sangya, had ten sons. Ila was the eldest but later transformed into a woman, married Buddh, and gave birth to four sons. This incident led to the Chandra (moon) lineage.

4. Ikshvaku, son of Vaivaswat Manu, ruled over Madhya-desh with one hundred sons, while he had one hundred and fourteen more sons who ruled territories south of Meru Mountain. Kakusttha was Ikshvaku's grandson, and his lineage included prominent kings like Prithu, Vrihadashwa, Kuwalashva, Purukutsu, Dharmasetu, and others.

5. Harishchandra, the truthful king, was the son of Satyarath, a descendant of Ikshvaku. His lineage continued with Rohit, Raghu, Dilip, Aja, Dirghabahu, and Prajapati Dasharath.

6. Dasharath, the father of Lord Rama, had four sons: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. Rama, famous for defeating the demon king Ravana, had two sons, Lav and Kush.

Sage Pulastya's narrative encapsulates the rich mythology and genealogy of ancient Indian history, tracing the origins of Earth's name and chronicling the lineage of great kings and leaders who shaped its history.