Adhyaya 72 — The Reconciliation Rite, Sarasvati Sacrifice, and the Birth of Uttama Manu (Auttama Manvantara Prelude)
मार्कण्डेय उवाच ।
उत्तमस्य सुतः सोऽथ नाम्ना ख्यातस्तथौत्तमः ।
मनुरासीत्तत्प्रभावो भागुरे श्रूयतां मम ॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca uttamasya sutaḥ so 'tha nāmnā khyātas tathauttamaḥ / manur āsīt tatprabhāvo bhāgure śrūyatāṃ mama
قال ماركانديَيا: كان ابنَ أُتّما، فاشتهر لذلك باسم «أوتّما» (Auttama). وصار مانو (Manu)؛ وأما أثرُ مَنڤَنْتَرا الخاص به—يا بهاگوري—فاسمعه مني.
The Purāṇic method ties cosmic governance (Manu) to lineage and reputation, implying that authority in a cycle of creation is anchored in continuity, merit, and recognized identity.
Manvantara: explicit identification of a Manu and the promise to describe his ‘prabhāva’ (scope/characteristics of the cycle).
Naming (‘Auttama’) functions as a mantra-like marker of a cosmic office: the individual identity is subsumed into a cyclical archetype (Manu) governing dharma for that age.