The Instructions of Svāyambhuva Manu - Governance, Marriage, and Non-Violence

This article presents a thematic survey of Svāyambhuva Manu's instructions on duty, marriage, anger management, and spiritual philosophy. It organizes the profound teachings found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Svāyambhuva Manu.

Svāyambhuva Manu, the son of Lord Brahmā and the first emperor of the universe, is the progenitor of mankind and a primary authority on religious duties (dharma). His life serves as the template for ideal leadership, balancing strict administrative justice with deep spiritual insight. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Manu's teachings are distributed across three Cantos: in the Third Canto, he exemplifies the obedient person and responsible father; in the Fourth Canto, he delivers a masterpiece of instruction to his grandson Dhruva Mahārāja on the dangers of anger and sectarian violence; and in the Eighth Canto, he offers prayers for the protection of the universe.

Service to the Creator (The Ideal Son)

Immediately after his birth, Svāyambhuva Manu approaches his father, Lord Brahmā, with folded hands. His first words establish the primary duty of a son and a subordinate: to seek instruction and service from the superior authority, proving that legitimate power comes from obedience.

Seeking Orders

Svāyambhuva Manu acknowledges that Brahmā is the source of all living entities and asks for specific orders on how to serve him. He understands that real fame and progress come from following the order of the creator.

  • "You (Brahmā) are the father of all living entities and the source of their subsistence because they are all born of you. Please order us how we may be able to render service unto you."
  • "O worshipful one (Brahmā), please give us (Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā) your direction for the execution of duty within our working capacity so that we can follow it for fame in this life and progress in the next."
  • "Śrī Manu said: O all-powerful lord, O killer of all sins, I shall abide by your order. Now please let me know my place and that of the living entities born of me."
  • "O master of the demigods, please attempt to lift the earth, which is merged in the great water, because it is the dwelling place for all the living entities. It can be done by your endeavor and by the mercy of the Lord."

Duty of Marriage (Counsel to Kardama Muni)

When his daughter Devahūti reaches a marriageable age, Manu takes her to the hermitage of Kardama Muni. He acts as the ideal father, ensuring his daughter is placed in the care of a qualified husband. He advises Kardama that accepting a suitable wife is beneficial even for a sage.

Approaching Kardama Muni

Svāyambhuva Manu approaches the sage with great humility, recognizing the fortune of meeting a pure devotee. He expresses gratitude for the instruction he has received regarding the duty of a king.

  • "It is my good fortune that I have been able to see you, for you cannot easily be seen by persons who have not subdued the mind or controlled the senses. I am all the more fortunate to have touched with my head the blessed dust of your feet."
  • "I have fortunately been instructed by you, and thus great favor has been bestowed upon me. I thank God that I have listened with open ears to your pure words."
  • "Now I have resolved all my doubts simply by meeting you, for Your Lordship has very kindly and clearly explained the duty of a king who desires to protect his subjects."
  • "O great sage, graciously be pleased to listen to the prayer of my humble self, for my mind is troubled by affection for my daughter."

Logic of Acceptance

He argues that when a suitable opportunity for household life comes of its own accord, it should not be rejected. He warns that rejecting such an offering leads to a loss of reputation.

  • "Therefore please accept her, O chief of the brāhmaṇas, for I offer her with faith and she is in every respect fit to be your wife and take charge of your household duties."
  • "To deny an offering that has come of itself is not commendable even for one absolutely free from all attachment, much less one addicted to sensual pleasure."
  • "One who rejects an offering that comes of its own accord but later begs a boon from a miser thus loses his widespread reputation, and his pride is humbled by the neglectful behavior of others."
  • "Svāyambhuva Manu continued: O wise man, I heard that you were prepared to marry. Please accept her hand, which is being offered to you by me, since you have not taken a vow of perpetual celibacy."
  • "The great sage (Kardama Muni) replied (to Svāyambhuva Manu): Certainly I have a desire to marry, and your daughter (Devahūti) has not yet married or given her word to anyone. Therefore our marriage according to the Vedic system can take place."

Qualities of the Bride

Svāyambhuva Manu highlights the qualifications of his daughter, Devahūti, noting her lineage and her spontaneous attraction to Kardama Muni's character.

  • "My daughter is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. She is seeking a suitable husband in terms of age, character and good qualities."
  • "The moment she heard from the sage Nārada of your noble character, learning, beautiful appearance, youth and other virtues, she fixed her mind upon you."

Svāyambhuva Manu's Instructions to Dhruva Mahārāja (The Dangers of Anger)

The most voluminous section of Manu's teachings is found in the Fourth Canto. When Dhruva Mahārāja begins killing thousands of Yakṣas to avenge the death of his brother Uttama, Manu descends to stop the massacre. He delivers a profound discourse on the dangers of anger, the nature of God, and the need for tolerance.

Restraining Violence

Svāyambhuva Manu implores his grandson to stop the killing, pointing out that collective punishment of innocent Yakṣas for the crime of one individual is sinful and hellish.

  • "Lord Manu said: My dear son, please stop. It is not good to become unnecessarily angry - it is the path to hellish life. Now you are going beyond the limit by killing Yakṣas who are actually not offenders."
  • "My dear son, the killing of the sinless Yakṣas which you have undertaken is not at all approved by authorities, and it does not befit our family, which is supposed to know the laws of religion and irreligion."
  • "My dear son, it has been proved that you are very much affectionate towards your brother and are greatly aggrieved at his being killed by the Yakṣas, but just consider - for one Yakṣa's offense, you have killed many others, who are innocent."
  • "One should not accept the body as the self and thus, like the animals, kill the bodies of others. This is especially forbidden by saintly persons, who follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
  • "Lord is always thinking of you, and you are also recognized by all His confidential devotees because you are a pure devotee of the Lord. Your life is meant for exemplary behavior. I am therefore surprised - why have you undertaken such an abominable task?"
  • "My (Manu) dear Dhruva, at the age of only five years you were very grievously afflicted by the words of your mother's co-wife, and you very boldly gave up the protection of your mother and went to the forest to engage in the yogic process."

Trap of Anger

He warns that anger is the foremost enemy of spiritual realization and that a person controlled by anger becomes a source of terror to others.

  • "Just consider what I have said to you, which will act as medicinal treatment upon disease. Control your anger, for anger is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual realization. I wish all good fortune for you. Please follow my instructions."
  • "A person who desires liberation from this material world should not fall under the control of anger because when bewildered by anger one becomes a source of dread for all others."
  • "My dear Dhruva, you thought that the Yakṣas killed your brother, and therefore you have killed great numbers of them. But by this action you have agitated the mind of Lord Śiva's brother Kuvera, who is the treasurer of the demigods."

Instructions to Dhruva (Karma, Time, and Creation)

Svāyambhuva Manu provides a detailed philosophical explanation of how the universe functions. He explains that the Yakṣas were not the actual cause of his brother's death; rather, time, karma, and the Lord's external energy were responsible.

Real Cause of Death

He explains that birth and death are orchestrated by the Supreme Lord through the agency of time, and the Yakṣas were merely instruments.

  • "My dear son, those Yakṣas, who are descendants of Kuvera, are not actually the killers of your brother; the birth and death of every living entity are caused by the Supreme, who is certainly the cause of all causes."
  • "The living entities are created through the agency of the father and killed through the agency of death, but He is perpetually free of birth and death."
  • "My dear Dhruva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ever existing, but in the form of time, He is the killer of everything. He has no beginning, although He is the beginning of everything, nor is He ever exhaustible, although everything is exhausted in due course of time."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His feature of eternal time, is present in the material world and is neutral towards everyone. No one is His ally, and no one is His enemy."

Dust in the Wind (Karma)

Manu uses the analogy of dust particles blown by the wind to describe the helplessness of living entities under the control of their own karma.

  • "Within the jurisdiction of the time element, everyone enjoys or suffers the result of his own karma. As, when the wind blows, small particles of dust fly in the air, so, according to one's particular karma, one suffers or enjoys material life."
  • "The differentiation among varieties of life and their suffering and enjoyment is explained by some to be the result of karma. Others say it is due to nature, others due to time, others due to fate, and still others say that it is due to desire."
  • "Manu continued: My dear King Dhruva, it is simply by the illusory, material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by the interaction of the three modes of material nature that creation, maintenance and annihilation take place."

The Material Elements

He briefly touches upon the creation of the material body through the five elements and the expansion of population through sex life.

  • "The creation of the material world begins with the five elements and thus everything, including the body of a man and woman is created of these elements. By the sexual life of man and woman, the number of men and women in this material world is further increased."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable supreme energy, time, causes the interaction of the three modes of material nature, and thus varieties of energy become manifest."

Instructions to Dhruva (The Nature of the Supreme Lord)

Svāyambhuva Manu offers profound theological insights to Dhruva, explaining how the Lord controls the universe without being entangled in it. He uses the famous magnet analogy to illustrate the Lord's passive impetus.

The Magnet Analogy and Impetus

Manu describes the Lord's control as effortless. He gives the impetus, and the material energy executes the work, just as a magnet moves iron.

  • "When He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) gives the impetus, many other causes and effects are produced, and thus the whole universe moves, just as iron moves by the integrated force of a magnet."
  • "The universe appears to be created, maintained and annihilated by Him because He has created this cosmic manifestation by His external energy. Nonetheless, He remains inactive in His spiritual energy and is untouched by the activities of the material energy."
  • "It appears that He is acting, but He is not the actor. He is killing, but He is not the killer. Thus it is understood that only by His inconceivable power is everything happening."

Transcendence and Completeness

He emphasizes that the Lord is the ultimate truth, complete in greatness, and uncontaminated by the modes of nature despite being the source of creation.

  • "The universe, which emanates from Him, is another feature of the Lord. Therefore the Supreme Lord is the ultimate truth, and He is complete in greatness."
  • "My dear Dhruva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. He is the remote cause of the creation of this material cosmic manifestation."
  • "The Absolute Truth, Transcendence, is never subject to the understanding of imperfect sensory endeavor, nor is He subject to direct experience."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in opulence by His own gain, yet He acts as the creator, maintainer and annihilator of this material world. In spite of acting in that way, He is never entangled. Hence devotees who follow in His footsteps are also never entangled."

Proprietorship (The Īśopaniṣad Principle)

Svāyambhuva Manu reminds Dhruva that the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything and that one should be satisfied with their allotted quota, respecting the rights of others.

  • "Within this universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Supersoul feature is present everywhere, wherever there are animate or inanimate beings. Therefore, one should accept only that which is allotted to him; one should not desire to infringe upon the property of others."
  • "My dear Dhruva, please, therefore, turn your attention to the Supreme Person, who is the infallible Brahman. Face the Supreme Personality of Godhead in your original position, and thus, by self-realization, you will find this material differentiation to be merely flickering."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul of all living entities. He is the controller and maintainer of everyone; through the agency of His external energy, He creates, maintains and annihilates everyone."

Instructions to Dhruva (Social Harmony and Service)

Svāyambhuva Manu concludes his instructions by explaining the social structure and the importance of equanimity. He urges Dhruva to pacify Kuvera and regain his spiritual position through service.

Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas (Heart and Arms)

Manu elucidates the symbiotic relationship between the intellectual class and the ruling class. He explains that social harmony depends on their cooperation, as they represent the heart and arms of the Universal Form.

  • "For the protection of the brāhmaṇas, the thousand-legged Supreme Being created us, the kṣatriyas, from His thousand arms. Hence the brāhmaṇas are said to be His heart and the kṣatriyas His arms."
  • "That is why the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas protect each other, as well as themselves; and the Lord Himself, who is both the cause and effect and is yet immutable, protects them through each other."
  • "Manu replied: To expand himself in Vedic knowledge, Lord Brahmā, the personified Veda, from his face created you, the brāhmaṇas, who are full of austerity, knowledge and mystic power and are averse to sense gratification."

Pacifying Kuvera

Recognizing the political fallout of Dhruva's war, Manu advises him to make peace with Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, to avoid offending the great devotees.

  • "For this reason, my son, you should immediately pacify Kuvera with gentle words and prayers, and thus his wrath may not affect our family."
  • "The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality."

Service and Surrender to God

He advises Dhruva to give up the false ego of "I" and "mine" by rendering service to the Supersoul.

  • "My dear boy Dhruva, please surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate goal of the progress of the world."
  • "Thus regaining your natural position and rendering service unto the Supreme Lord, who is the all-powerful reservoir of all pleasure and who lives in all living entities as the Supersoul, you will very soon forget the illusory understanding of 'I' and 'my.'"
  • "To enable people to reach the stage of activities that are not tinged by fruitive results, great saints first engage people in fruitive activities."
  • "Unless one begins by performing activities as recommended in the śāstras, one cannot reach the stage of liberation, or activities that produce no reactions."
  • "It is very difficult to achieve the spiritual abode of Hari, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, but you are so fortunate that you are already destined to go to that abode by worshiping Him as the supreme abode of all living entities."

Prayers for the Universe (Canto 8 Theology)

In the Eighth Canto, Svāyambhuva Manu offers prayers to the Supreme Lord. These verses are dense with theological import, describing the Lord as the witness, the teacher, and the inconceivable source of all energies.

God Is The Supreme Witness

Svāyambhuva Manu glorifies the Lord as the one who sees everything but is not seen by anyone. He emphasizes that the Lord's power to witness is never diminished, regardless of our perception.

  • "Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly watches the activities of the world, no one sees Him. However, one should not think that because no one sees Him, He does not see, for His power to see is never diminished."
  • "The supreme living being has created this material world of animation; it is not that He was created by this material world. When everything is silent, the Supreme Being stays awake as a witness."

Viṣṇu The Original Teacher and Controller

He accepts the Lord as the original teacher of religion and urges everyone to follow His path. He compares the conditioned souls to bulls controlled by a rope.

  • "As the supreme teacher of human society, He teaches His own way of activities, and thus He inaugurates the real path of religion. I request everyone to follow Him."
  • "Everyone, including the demigods headed by Lord Brahmā, is working under His control, just as a bull, prompted by a rope in its nose, is controlled by its owner."
  • "Everyone should worship the Supersoul, who always stays with the individual soul as a friend."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, is all-powerful, and He awards the results of one's fruitive activities."

Inconceivable Potencies

Svāyambhuva Manu prays to the Lord who is devoid of material qualities and has no beginning or end. He acknowledges that the Lord accepts the material energy for creation but remains aloof from it.

  • "He is the master of varieties of energies, like the full material energy, and no one can understand His plans or actions; therefore it should be concluded that although He is the original cause of all causes, no one can know Him by mental speculation."
  • "The entire cosmic manifestation is the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, who has millions of names and unlimited potencies. He is self-effulgent, unborn and changeless. He is the beginning of everything but He has no beginning."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead creates this material world, maintains it, and annihilates it in due course of time, but because He is transcendental to such activities, He is never affected by ego in such action or by the modes of material nature."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no beginning, no end and no middle. Nor does He belong to a particular person or nation. He has no inside or outside."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, works just like an ordinary human being, yet He does not desire to enjoy the fruits of work. He is full in knowledge, free from material desires and diversions, and completely independent."
  • "Although one living entity's duration of life is very small whereas that of another is very great, He (Viṣṇu) is always in His transcendental position, and there is no question of lessening or increasing His duration of life."
  • "The dualities found within this material world, such as beginning and end, mine and theirs, are all absent from the personality of the Supreme Lord."
  • "One who actually satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead during one's lifetime becomes liberated from the gross and subtle material conditions. Thus being freed from all material modes of nature, he achieves unlimited spiritual bliss."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Svayambhuva Manu. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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