|| 8

Chapter One

Chapter One

Payers Svyambhuva Manu

|| 8.1.1 ||r-rjovca

svyambhuvasyeha guro

vao 'ya vistarc chruta

yatra viva-sj sargo

mann anyn vadasva na

King Parkit said: O guru! I have heard in detail about the dynasty of Svyambhuva Manu in which the Prajpatis carried out creation. Please describe the other Manus. Offering respects to guru and Ka, the ocean of mercy, I take shelter of r-ukadeva, the eye of the universe, and master of the worlds. I offer myself and everything I possess to he who is the life of the gops and who is the controller, for service to his dear devotees. The quality of the Manvantara period is establishment of dharma. Six of the Manus who institute that dharma will be described in the twenty-four chapters of the Eighth Canto. One chapter describes four Manvantaras. Three chapters describe the story of Gajendra and the fifth Manu. Eight chapters describe the sixth Manu, Ckua, the churning of the ocean and obtaining nectar from it. One chapter describes the seventh Manu, Vaivasvata or rddhadeva, and one chapter describes his activities. Nine chapters describe Vmanadeva (who appeared in Vaivasvata Manvantara) and one chapter describes Matsya. The First Chapter describes the prayers of Svyambhuva Manu and also describes the first four Manus. Blissful on hearing the dynasties of Svyambhuva starting in the Fourth Canto, and the stories about Prahlda and others, Parkit wanted to know about the other Manus. Thus he begins by asking this question. || 8.1.2 ||manvantare harer janma

karmi ca mahyasa

ganti kavayo brahmas

tni no vada vatm

O brhmaa! The wise describe the activities and appearance of the great Lord during the various Manvantaras. We are very eager to hear about these activities. Kindly describe them.Mahyasa (great) refers to the Lord.

|| 8.1.3 ||yad yasminn antare brahman

bhagavn viva-bhvana

ktavn kurute kart

hy atte 'ngate 'dya v

O brhmaa! Describe to us the activities that the Supreme Lord, creator of the universe, performed in the past Manvantaras, is performing at present, and will perform in the future Manvantaras.The verb describe should be added. Antare means during the Manvantara. Adya means at present.

|| 8.1.4 ||r-ir uvca

manavo 'smin vyatt a

kalpe svyambhuvdaya

dyas te kathito yatra

devdn ca sambhava

ukadeva Gosvm said: In the present day of Brahm, there have already been six Manus starting with Svyambhuva. I have described to you Svyambhuva Manu, during whose period the devats and other living entities appeared.Among them the first (dya), Svyambhuva has been described to you.|| 8.1.5 ||kty devahty ca

duhitros tasya vai mano

dharma-jnopadertha

bhagavn putrat gata

Svyambhuva Manu had two daughters, named kti and Devahti. From their wombs, the Supreme Lord appeared as two sons named Yaja and Kapila respectively, for preaching about religion and knowledge.The daughters were kt and Devaht.

|| 8.1.6 ||kta pur bhagavata

kapilasynuvaritam

khysye bhagavn yajo

yac cakra kurdvaha

O best of the Kurus! I have already described [in the Third Canto] the activities of Kapila, the son of Devahti. Now I shall describe the activities of Yaja, the son of kti.

|| 8.1.7 ||virakta kma-bhogeu

atarp-pati prabhu

visjya rjya tapase

sabhryo vanam viat

The husband of atarp, Svyambhuva Manu, detached from material enjoyment, gave up his kingdom and entered the forest with his wife to practice austerities.

|| 8.1.8 ||sunandy vara-ata

padaikena bhuva span

tapyamnas tapo ghoram

idam anvha bhrata

O descendant of Bharata! Svyambhuva Manu, standing on one leg on the bank of the River Sunand, performed great austerities for one hundred years. At that time, he chanted as follows.Avha means he chanted.

|| 8.1.9||r-manur uvca

yena cetayate viva

viva cetayate na yam

yo jgarti ayne 'smin

nya ta veda veda sa

Manu said: The Lord brings the universe to life. The universe does not bring the Lord to life. While the universe sleeps, the Lord is awake. The universe does not know him, but he knows everything.

Yena here means ya (he who brings the universe to life.) The people in the universe do not know he who brings the universe to life and whom the universe does not bring to life, who is awake while the universe is sleeping in deep sleep, or in pralaya, and who sleeps in yoga-nidr, while the universe is not awake (this phrase should be added). The Lord knows the universe.|| 8.1.10||tmvsyam ida viva

yat kicij jagaty jagat

tena tyaktena bhujth

m gdha kasya svid dhanam

Whatever exists in this universe is the dwelling place of the Lord. Enjoy wealth that is given by the Lord and do not hanker for what is not given by him. Whose wealth is it, except the Lords?Showing the nature of God as the controller, Manu teaches his sons and daughters. Whatever place, body or senses (jagat) exist in the three worlds (jagatym) is meant for the Lord to dwell in (vsyam), since it has been created by the Lord for his pastimes. Therefore one should build the temple of the Lord at various places and establish a deity of the Lord. Then, taking his permission, with the mentality of being his servant, one should build ones own house, of inferior quality. One should not consider that place to be ones own, and by that reasoning not built the Lords temple. Even if one is wealthy, one should enjoy only what is given by the Lord, just as workers are given pay by their master. Enjoy what is given, and do not desire what is not given. Spending profusely on the Lord and his devotees, one should take the remainder and use that for feeding oneself and ones family, friends and other worthy people. But wife and children will not accept such conduct. Scolding, Manu says, Whose wealth is this? Svit indicates a question. Thought the wealth is in your house, whose is it, except the Lords? Nrada says:yvad bhriyeta jahara tvat svatva hi dehinm

adhika yo bhimanyeta sa steno daam arhati

One may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to maintain his body. He who desires proprietorship over more than that is considered a thief, and he deserves to be punished. SB 7.14.8

Or another meaning is Do not hanker for anyone elses wealth. This verse is similar to the ruti mantra of opaniad:

vsyam idam sarva yat kica jagaty jagat

tena tyaktena bhujth m gdha kasya svid dhanamThis visible world, and whatever exists beyond perception, is under the control of the Lord. Because of this you should enjoy only what is allotted to you by the Lord through karma. Do not hanker for more than that. Whose property is it?

|| 8.1.11||ya payati na payanta

cakur yasya na riyati

ta bhta-nilaya deva

suparam upadhvata

Worship the uncontaminated Lord residing in all beings, who is the friend of the jva, and who, though seeing all things, is not seen, and whose knowledge is never destroyed. If the Lord dwells everywhere in the universe, why do we not see him? One does not see the Lord who sees all. When a pot is destroyed, ones knowledge concerning the pot is destroyed. When the universe is destroyed, does the Lords knowledge of the universe get destroyed? The Lords jna-akti (caku), emanating from his svarpa, is never destroyed. ruti says svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca: the Lord has intrinsic power of knowledge, strength and action. (vetvatara Upaniad 6.8) Similarly the sunlight is not destroyed when the objects it reveals are destroyed. The Lord dwells in all beings (bhta-nilayam), is free from contamination, is bright (devam), and is the friend of the jva (suparam). ruti says dv supar sayuj sakhya: there are two birds dwelling together as friends. (Muaka Upaniad 3.1.1) Upadhvata means please serve.|| 8.1.12||na yasydy-antau madhya ca

sva paro nntara bahi

vivasymni yad yasmd

viva ca tad ta mahat

He has no beginning, middle or end. He does not consider that anything belongs to him or to anyone else. He has no inside and no outside. From him arise the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe. He is the form of the universe. He is the permanent truth with eternal form, the perfect Brahman.This verse explains the pervasive feature of the Lord. From the Lord (yasmt) the creation, maintenance and destruction (amni) arise. His form is the universe (yat vivam). Because he is permanent, he is truth (tam) and the perfect Brahman (mahat). This describes the eternal nature of the Lords form.|| 8.1.13||sa viva-kya puru-hta-a

satya svaya-jyotir aja pura

dhatte 'sya janmdy ajaytma-akty

t vidyayodasya nirha ste

The Lord has the universe as his body. He is called by many names. He is the controller. He is truth, and is self-revealing, unborn, and without beginning. He carries out the creation and destruction of the universe by his my-akti, and rejecting her by his internal energy, remains indifferent to her.

This verse describes how the Lord is everything. He has many names (puru-hta).

yatra vidyvidye na vidmo vidyvidybhy bhinno vidymayo hi ya sa katha visay-bhavati

We do not see vidy or avidy in the Lord. He is different from vidy and avidy. How can one know this Lord made of cit-akti (vidy)? Gopla-tpan Upaniad

This quotation shows that vidy also means the Lords cit-akti. By this auspicious energy, which is like a queen, the material energy (tm) is rejected (udasya).

tvam dya purua skd vara prakte para |

my vyudasya cic-chakty kaivalye sthita tmani ||

You are the original Lord, the controller, beyond material energy. You are situated in your spiritual form, being one with your spiritual energy, and separate from the material energy. SB 1.7.23

|| 8.1.14||athgre aya karm-

hante 'karma-hetave

hamno hi purua

pryo 'nh prapadyate

Therefore, the sages first perform actions in order to be free of action. A person by regulated action generally attains inaction.

Not able to understand how the Lord can simultaneously act and not act, the sages attempt to accomplish this at different times. Therefore, the sages first perform actions, in order to attain non-action, naikarmyam. Another version has karma-hantave instead of akarma-hetave: for the destruction of action. || 8.1.15||hate bhagavn o

na hi tatra visajjate

tma-lbhena prrtho

nvasdanti ye 'nu tam

The Supreme Lord, the controller, complete in himself, acts but is not bound by action. Those who follow the Lord and perform bhakti do not become bound up by action.

But a person involved in actions, being surrounded by such actions, becomes bound up like an insect in a cocoon. Those who follow the Lord, those who receive instructions on bhakti, do not become bound up.

|| 8.1.16||tam hamna nirahakta budha

niria pram ananya-coditam

n ikayanta nija-vartma-sasthita

prabhu prapadye 'khila-dharma-bhvanam

I surrender to the Lord who is tmrma, who is without false ego, who is intelligent, without desire, complete, independent, who gives instructions to mankind by his own actions, who is situated in bhakti-yoga, and who teaches bhakti-yoga. You are giving us instructions, but what are you doing at this moment? I surrender to the Lord, the master. Here he does not mention a particular name, but this refers to the person who gives life to the universe in verse 9. How is he described? That Supreme Lord desires himself (hamnam). Just as the devotees desire the Lord, the Lord desires himself. This means he is tmrma, enjoying in himself. He has no false ego, though he is the supreme controller. He is ordered by himself (ananya-coditam). He is situated in the method to attain him, which has been nearly lost because of time. He teaches mankind by his own behaviour. He propagates the best dharma, bhakti-yoga (akhila-dharma).|| 8.1.17||r-uka uvca

iti mantropaniada

vyharanta samhitam

dvsur ytudhn

jagdhum abhyadravan kudh

ukadeva Gosvm said: Seeing Svyambhuva Manu chant the mantras with concentration, the hungry demons attacked him in order to eat him.

Seeing him in samdhi chanting the mantras of this Upaniad, and thinking he was a helpless person in deep sleep, demons approached him to eat him, because they were hungry.

|| 8.1.18||ts tathvasitn vkya

yaja sarva-gato hari

ymai parivto devair

hatvsat tri-viapam

Seeing the demons about to devour him, Yaja, who pervades everywhere, killed the demons and then ruled in Svarga, surrounded by the Ymas and the devats.The Ymas mentioned are the sons of Yaj.

|| 8.1.19||svrocio dvityas tu

manur agne suto 'bhavat

dyumat-suea-rocimat

pramukhs tasya ctmaj

The son of Agni named Svrocia became the second Manu. His sons were headed by Dyumat, Suea and Rocimat.Each Manvantara has six elements. It is said:

manvantara manur dev manu-putr surevar

rayo 'vatr ca hare a-vidham ucyate

Manvantaram means the reign of Manu, during which six types of personalities carry out specific duties: the ruling Manu, the devats, the sons of Manu, Indra, the great sages and the partial incarnations of the Supreme Lord. SB 12.7.15In the first Manvantara, Svyambhuva was Manu, his sons were Priyavrata and Uttnapda, the devats were Yma and others, and the seven sages were Marci and others. Yaja was the avatra and he also became Indra. These have been described in the Fourth Canto. Twelve verses now describe these six elements for the second, third and fourth Manvantaras.

|| 8.1.20|tatrendro rocanas tv sd

dev ca tuitdaya

rja-stambhdaya sapta

ayo brahma-vdina

During the reign of Svrocia, the post of Indra was assumed by Rocana, the son of Yaja. Tuita and others became the principal devats, and rja, Stambha and others, brahmavds, became the seven sages.

|| 8.1.21||es tu vedairasas

tuit nma patny abht

tasy jaje tato devo

vibhur ity abhiviruta

The sage Vedair wife was Tuit. From her womb was born the avatra named Vibhu.

|| 8.1.22|ati-sahasri

munayo ye dhta-vrat

anvaikan vrata tasya

kaumra-brahmacria

Vibhu remained a brahmacri and never married throughout his life. From him, eighty-eight thousand saintly persons fixed in their vows took lessons on proper conduct.

|| 8.1.23 ||ttya uttamo nma

priyavrata-suto manu

pavana sjayo yaja-

hotrdys tat-sut npa

O King, the third Manu, Uttama, was the son of King Priyavrata. Among the sons of this Manu were Pavana, Sjaya and Yajahotra.

|| 8.1.24 ||vasiha-tanay sapta

aya pramaddaya

saty vedarut bhadr

dev indras tu satyajit

During the reign of the third Manu, Pramada and other sons of Vasiha became the seven sages. The Satyas, Vedarutas and Bhadras became the devats, and Satyajit became Indra.

|| 8.1.25 ||dharmasya snty tu

bhagavn puruottama

satyasena iti khyto

jta satyavratai saha

In this Manvantara, the Supreme Lord appeared from the womb of Snt, who was the wife of Dharma. The Lord celebrated as Satyasena appeared with other devats known as the Satyavratas.

|| 8.1.26 ||so 'nta-vrata-duln

asato yaka-rkasn

bhta-druho bhta-ga

cvadht satyajit-sakha

Satyasena, along with his friend Satyajit, who was Indra, killed all the untruthful, impious and misbehaving Yakas, Rkasas and ghostly living entities, who gave pain to other living beings.

|| 8.1.27 ||caturtha uttama-bhrt

manur nmn ca tmasa

pthu khytir nara ketur

ity dy daa tat-sut

The brother of the Uttama, the third Manu, known as Tmasa, became the fourth Manu. Tmasa had ten sons, headed by Pthu, Khyti, Nara and Ketu.

|| 8.1.28 ||satyak harayo vr

devs triikha vara

jyotirdhmdaya sapta

ayas tmase 'ntare

During the reign of Tmasa Manu, the devats were the Satyakas, Haris and Vras. The heavenly King, Indra, was Triikha. The sages were headed by Jyotirdhma.

|| 8.1.29 ||dev vaidhtayo nma

vidhtes tanay npa

na klena yair ved

vidht svena tejas

O King, in the Tmasa Manvantara the sons of Vidhti, who were known as the Vaidhtis, also became devats. Since in course of time the Vedas were lost, these devats, protected the Vedas by their own powers.In this Manvantara there were two sets of devats--those mentioned in the previous verse and those mentioned in this verse.|| 8.1.30 ||tatrpi jaje bhagavn

hariy harimedhasa

harir ity hto yena

gajendro mocito graht

In this Manvantara, the Supreme Lord took birth from the womb of Hari, the wife of Harimedh, and was known as Hari. Hari saved Gajendra from the mouth of a crocodile.hta means was called.

|| 8.1.31 ||r-rjovca

bdaryaa etat te

rotum icchmahe vayam

harir yath gaja-pati

grha-grastam ammucat

King Parkit said: O ukadeva! I wish to hear from you how the king of the elephants, when attacked by a crocodile, was delivered by Hari.

|| 8.1.32 ||tat-kathsu mahat puya

dhanya svastyayana ubham

yatra yatrottamaloko

bhagavn gyate hari

Among all the stories in which the Supreme Lord is glorified, this story bestows great purity, glory, auspiciousness and fortune.Because of desiring to hear this topic, among all the topics this topic gives great purity and auspiciousness. Mahat modifies puyam.|| 8.1.33 ||r-sta uvca

parkitaiva sa tu bdaryai

pryopaviena kathsu codita

uvca vipr pratinandya prthiva

mud munn sadasi sma vatm

Sta Gosvm said: O brhmaas! when Parkit Mahrja, who was awaiting impending death, thus requested ukadeva Gosvm to speak, ukadeva, encouraged by the King's words, offered respect to the King and spoke with great pleasure in the assembly of sages who desired to hear him.Thus ends the commentary on the First Chapter of the Eighth Canto of the Bhgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous cryas.

He was another son of Priyavrata.