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MANDODARI-MANTHARĂ.

and the water became endowed with prolific energy. Yuvanaswa woke up in the night thirsty, and finding the water, he drank it. So he conceived, and in due time a child came forth from his right side. The sages then asked who would suckle the child, whereupon Indra appeared, gave his finger for the child to suck, and said, "He shall suck me," mām ayam dhāsyati. These words were contracted, and the boy was named Mandhātri. When he grew up he had three sons and fifty daughters. An old sage named Saubhari came to Mandhātri and asked that one might be given him to wife. Unwilling to give one to so old and emaciated a man, but yet afraid to refuse, the king temporised, but at length yielded to the sage's request that the matter might be left to the choice of the girls. Saubhari then assumed a handsome form, and there was such a contention for him that he had to marry the whole fifty, and he provided for them a row of crystal palaces in a most beautiful garden.

MANDODARI. Ravana's favourite wife and the mother of

Indra-jit.

MÄNDUKEYA. A teacher of the Rig-veda, who derived his knowledge from his father, Indra-pramati.

MANDUKYA. Name of an Upanishad translated by Dr. Roer in the Bibliotheca Indica.

MANGALA. The planet Mars, identified with Kartikeya, the god of war. He was son of Siva and the Earth, and as son of the Earth is called Angāraka, Bhauma, Bhumi-putra, Mahisuta. He is also called Siva-gharma-ja, 'born of the sweat of Siva;' Gaganolmuka, 'the torch of the sky;' Lohita, 'the red;' Navarchi, 'the nine-rayed;' Chara, 'the spy;' Rināntaka, 'ender of debts, patron of debtors.' See Kartikeya.

MANI-BHADRA. The chief of the Yakshas and guardian of travellers.

MANIMAT. A Rakshasa slain by Bhima.

MANI-PURA. A city on the sea-coast of Kalinga, where Babhru-vāhana, the son of Arjuna, dwelt. Wheeler identifies it with the modern Munnipur or Muneepore, east of Bengal; but this is very questionable.

MANMATHA. A name of Kama, god of love.

MANTHARĀ. An ugly deformed slave, nurse of Queen Kaikeyi, who stirred up her mistress's jealousy against Rāma

1

chandra, and led her to persuade King Dasa-ratha to banish Rama from court. Satru-ghna beat her and threatened to kill her, but she was saved by his brother Bharata.

MANTRA. That portion of the Veda which consists of hymns, as distinct from the Brahmanas. See Veda.

MANU. (From the root man, to think.) The man.' This name belongs to fourteen mythological progenitors of mankind and rulers of the earth, each of whom holds sway for the period called a Manwantara (manu-antara), the age of a Manu, i.e., a period of no less than 4,320,000 years. The first of these Manus was Swayam-bhuva, who sprang from Swayam-bhū, the selfexistent. The self-existent, as identified with Brahma the creator, divided himself into two persons, male and female. From this pair was produced the male Viraj, and from him sprang the Manu Swayam-bhuva. As the acting creator, this Manu produced the ten Prajapatis or progenitors of mankind, called also Maharshis (mahā-rishis). According to another account, this Manu sprang from the incestuous intercourse of Brahma with his daughter and wife, Sata-rupa. Brahma created himself Manu, "born of and identical with his original self, and the female portion of himself he constituted Sata-rupā," whom Manu took to wife. The law-book commonly known as Manu is ascribed to this Manu, and so also is a Sūtra work on ritual bearing the same name. The Manu of the present age is the seventh, named Vaivaswata, 'sun-born,' who was the son of Vivaswat, the sun, and he is a Kshatriya by race. He is also called Satya-vrata. There are various legends about his having been saved from a great flood by Vishnu or Brahma. The names of the fourteen Manus are (1.) Swayam-bhuva, (2.) Swarochisha, (3.) Auttami, (4.) Tamasa, (5.) Raivata, (6.) Chakshusha, (7.) Vaivaswata or Satya-vrata, (8.) Savarna, (9.) Daksha-savarna, (10.) Brahmasavarna, (11.) Dharma-savarna, (12.) Savarna or Rudra-savarna, (13.) Rauchya, (14.) Bhautya.

The sons of Manu Vaivaswata were-Ikshwaku, Nabhaga or Nriga, Dhrishta, Saryati, Narishyanta, Prānsu, Nābhāganedishta or Nabhānedishta, Karūsha, and Prishadhra. But there is some variety in the names.

With the seventh Manu, Vaivaswata, is connected the very curious and interesting legend of the deluge. The first account of this is found in the Satapatha Brahmana, of which the fol

lowing is a summary:-One morning, in the water which was brought to Manu for washing his hands, he caught a fish which spake, and said, "Take care of me and I will preserve thee." Manu asked, "From what wilt thou preserve me?" The fish answered, "A flood will carry away all living beings; I will save thee from that." The fish desired Manu to keep him alive in an earthen vessel, to remove him to a dyke as he grew larger, and eventually to the ocean, "so that he might be beyond the risk of destruction." The fish grew rapidly, and again addressed Manu, saying, "After so many years the deluge will take place; then construct a ship and pay me homage, and when the waters rise, go into the ship and I will rescue thee." Manu did as he was desired, he built the ship, conveyed the fish to the ocean, and did him homage. The flood rose, and Manu fastened the cable of the ship to the fish's horn. Thus he passed over the northern mountain (the Himalaya, as the commentator explains). The fish then desired Manu to fasten the ship to a tree, and to go down with the subsiding waters. He did so, and found that the flood had swept away all living creatures. He alone was left. Desirous of offspring, he offered sacrifice and engaged in devotion. A woman was produced, who came to Manu and declared herself his daughter. "With her he lived, worshipping and toiling in arduous religious rites, desirous of offspring. With her he begat the offspring which is the offspring of Manu."

The story, as told in the Maha-bharata, represents Manu as engaged in devotion by the side of a river, and the fish craving his protection from the bigger fish. Manu placed the fish in a glass vase, but it grew larger and larger till the ocean alone could contain it. Then it warned Manu of the coming flood, and directed him to build a ship and to embark with the seven Rishis. He did so, and fastened his ship to the horn of the fish. Then, according to the rendering of Professor Williams

Along the ocean in that stately ship was borne the lord of men, and through

Its dancing, tumbling billows and its roaring waters; and the bark,

Tossed to and fro by violent winds, reeled on the surface of the deep,

Staggering and trembling like a drunken woman: land was seen no more,

MANU—MANU-SANHITĂ.

201

Nor far horizon, nor the space between; for everywhere around Spread the wild waste of waters, reeking atmosphere, and bound

less sky.

And now, when all the world was deluged, nought appeared above

the waves

But Manu and the seven sages, and the fish that drew the bark. Unwearied thus for years on years that fish pulled on the ship

across

The heaped-up waters, till at length it bore the vessel to the peak Of Himavan; then, softly smiling, thus the fish addressed the

sage:

'Haste now to bind thy ship to this high crag. Know me, the lord of all,

The great creator Brahmā, mightier than all might, omnipotent. By me, in fish-like shape, have you been saved in dire emergency. From Manu all creation, gods, Asuras, men, must be produced; By him the world must be created, that which moves and moveth not.'"

The commentators on this legend of the Maha-bhārata give a metaphysical turn to the legend, and endeavour to illustrate it by philosophical and allegorical interpretations. The same story is reproduced with variations in the Matsya, Bhagavata, and Agni Purānas, and Muir has given translations of the passages in vol. i. of his Sanskrit Texts.

In the Rāmāyana mention is made of a female Manu, and it appears that the word is sometimes used for "the wife of Manu."

MANU-SANHITĀ.

The well-known law-book, the Code of Manu, or Institutes of Manu. It is attributed to the first Manu, Swayam-bhuva, who existed nearly thirty millions of years ago, but it bears the marks of being the production of more than one mind. This is the first and chief of the works classified as Smriti, and is a collection or digest of current laws and creeds rather than a planned systematic code. It is the foundation of Hindu law, and is held in the highest reverence. The work belongs to a period later than that of the Vedas, when the Brahmans had obtained the ascendancy, but its deities are those of the Vedic rather than the Epic or Purānic age. It is apparently anterior to the philosophical schools. The fifth century BC. is supposed to be about the time when it was composed, but the rules and precepts it contains had probably existed as

202

MANWANTARA—MĀRISHĀ.

traditions long before. It is commonly called the Code of Manu, and was current among the Manavas, a class or school of Brahmans who were followers of the Black Yajur-veda; but it deals with many subjects besides law, and is a most important record of old Hindu society. It is said to have consisted originally of 100,000 verses, arranged in twenty-four chapters; that Nārada shortened the work to 12,000 verses; and that Sumati made a second abridgment, reducing it to 4000, but only 2685 are extant. It is evident that there was more than one redaction of the laws of the Manavas, for a Brihan or Vrihan Manu, 'great Manu,' and Vriddha Manu, 'old Manu,' are often referred to. Sir W. Jones's translation, edited by Haughton, is excellent, and is the basis of all others in French, German, &c. The text has often been printed. MANWANTARA (Manu-antara). The life or period of a Manu, 4,320,000 years.

MARICHA. A Rakshasa, son of Taraka. According to the Rāmāyana he interfered with a sacrifice which was being performed by Viswamitra, but was encountered by Rama, who discharged a weapon at him, which drove him one hundred yojanas out to sea. He was afterwards the minister of Rāvana, and accompanied him to the hermitage where Rama and Sītā were dwelling. There, to inveigle Rama, he assumed the shape of a golden deer, which Rama pursued and killed. On receiving his death-wound he resumed a Rakshasa form and spake, and Rama discovered whom he had killed. In the meanwhile Ravana had carried off Sita.

Maruts. Name of one of the
He is sometimes represented as
He was father of Kasyapa, and

MARICHI. Chief of the Prajapatis. (See Prajapati.) springing direct from Brahmā. one of the seven great Rishis. See Rishi.

MARISHA. Daughter of the sage Kandu, and wife of the Prachetasas, but from the mode of her birth she is called. "the nursling of the trees, and daughter of the wind and the moon." She was mother of Daksha. Her mother was a celestial nymph named Pramlocha, who beguiled the sage Kandu from his devotions and lived with him for a long time. When the sage awoke from his voluptuous delusion, he drove her from his presence. "She, passing through the air, wiped the perspiration from her with the leaves of the trees," and "the child she had conceived by the Rishi came forth from the pores of her skin