Template:Italic title A manvantara, in Hindu cosmology, is a cyclic period of time identifying the duration, reign, or age of a Manu, the progenitor of mankind. In each manvantara, seven Rishis, certain deities, an Indra, a Manu, and kings (sons of Manu) are created and perish.[1] Each manvantara is distinguished by the Manu who rules/reigns over it, of which we are currently in the seventh manvantara of fourteen, which is ruled by Vaivasvata Manu.[2][3]
Etymology
Manvantara (Template:Lang-sa), sometimes spelled manwantara or manuantara, is a compound of manu (Template:Lang-sa) and antara (Template:Lang-sa), creating manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning "the duration of a Manu", or his lifespan, with synonym meanings of "the interval, reign, period, or age of a Manu".[4]
Sandhya (Template:Lang-sa) or sandhi (Template:Lang-sa), sometimes with a compound of kala (Template:Lang-sa), have been used to represent "the juncture before or after a manvantara", a period of universal deluge (flood):[5][6]
- manvantara sandhya (Template:Lang-sa)
- manvantara sandhi (Template:Lang-sa)
- sandhya kala (Template:Lang-sa) when describing a manvantara
- sandhi kala (Template:Lang-sa) when describing a manvantara
Duration and structure
Each manvantara lasts for 306,720,000 years (852,000 divine years; 1 divine year = 360 solar years) and repeats seventy-one Yuga Cycles (world ages). In a kalpa (day of Brahma), which lasts for 4.32 billion years (12 million divine years or 1,000 Yuga Cycles), there are a total of fourteen manvantaras (14 x 71 = 994 Yuga Cycles), where each is followed by and the first preceded by a manvantara-sandhya (fifteen sandhyas) with each sandhya lasting for 1,728,000 years (4,800 divine years; the duration of Satya Yuga). During each manvantara-sandhya, the earth (Bhu-loka) is submerged in water.[5][7][8]
Each kalpa has 14 manvantaras and 15 manvantara-sandhyas in the following order:
- 1st manvantara-sandhya (Template:Aka adi sandhya)
- 1st manvantara
- 2nd manvantara-sandhya
- 2nd manvantara
- ...
- 14th manvantara-sandhya
- 14th manvantara
- 15th manvantara-sandhya
Manusmriti, Ch. 1:[9] Template:Blockquote
Surya Siddhanta, Ch. 1:[10] Template:Blockquote
Vishnu Purana, Part 1, Ch. 3:[11] Template:Blockquote
Manus
In our current kalpa (day of Brahma), these fourteen Manu's reign in succession:
See also
- Itihasa
- Hindu units of time
- Kalpa (day of Brahma)
- Manvantara (age of Manu)
- Pralaya (period of dissolution)
- Yuga Cycle (four yuga ages): Satya (Krita), Treta, Dvapara, and Kali
- Hindu cosmology
- List of numbers in Hindu scriptures
- Manu
- Saptarishi (Names in each manvantara)
References
- ↑ Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Purānic{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. London Missionary Society(1913)
- ↑ Account of the several Manus and Manwantaras Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, 1840, Book III: Chapter I. p. 259, The first Manu was Swáyambhuva, then came Swárochisha, then Auttami, then Támasa, then Raivata, then Chákshusha: these six Manus have passed away. The Manu who presides over the seventh Manwantara, which is the present period, is Vaivaswata, the son of the sun...
- ↑ Pralaya The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky, Vol. 2, p. 307 THE SEVEN AND FOURTEEN MANUS.
- ↑
मनु (manu). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
अन्तर (antara). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
Manvantara, Manu-antara. Wisdom Library(24 June 2012). Retrieved 2021-02-28. - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Springer(2010). ISBN 9783642007378
- ↑
sandhyA. Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
संध्या (samdhyā). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
सन्धि (sandhi). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
संधि (samdhi). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
काल (kāla). Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
Sandhi, Shandhi. Wisdom Library(3 August 2014). Retrieved 2021-02-28.
Sandhyakala, Sandhyākāla. Wisdom Library(29 July 2018). Retrieved 2021-02-28.
Samdhyakala, Saṃdhyākāla, Samdhya-kala. Wisdom Library(22 August 2019). Retrieved 2021-02-28.
Kala-sandhi, Kāla-sandhi. Wisdom Library(17 December 2019). Retrieved 2021-02-28. - ↑ Template:Cite encyclopedia
- ↑ Meet the Ancient Scriptures of Hinduism{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Notion Press(2019). ISBN 9781684669387
- ↑ The Laws of Manu: translated with extracts from seven commentaries{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(1886)
- ↑ Translation of the Surya-Siddhanta, A Text-Book of Hindu Astronomy; With notes and an appendix{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of Calcutta(1935)
- ↑ The Vishnu Purana{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1840)
Template:Time in religion and mythology Template:Brahmanda Template:Rishis of Hindu mythology Template:Legendary progenitors