Shloka 16
Manvantara Catalog: Fourteen Manus, Their Sons, Saptarishis, Indras, Deva-Hosts, and the 18 Vidyās
हरयो देवतामां च चत्वारः पञ्च (सप्त) विंशकाः / गणा इन्द्रः शिविस्तस्य शत्रुर्भोमरथाः स्मृताः
harayo devatāmāṃ ca catvāraḥ pañca (sapta) viṃśakāḥ / gaṇā indraḥ śivistasya śatrurbhomarathāḥ smṛtāḥ
The Haris and the deities are said to be four; the attendant hosts are described as twenty-five (or twenty-seven). Indra is named among them; Śivi is remembered as his enemy, and the Bhoma-rathas are also mentioned.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra, per common Garuda Purana narrative frame)
Concept: Cosmic order is maintained through organized hosts and opposition to threats; even celestial realms have structured roles and conflicts.
Vedantic Theme: Loka-saṅgraha: maintenance of order within the phenomenal world; conflict as part of dharma’s protection at the level of governance.
Application: Value organization and role-clarity in communities; channel ‘host-energy’ (gaṇa) toward protection and service rather than chaos.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: celestial court/host encampment
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.87 (gaṇa counts and Indra-related listings in surrounding verses)
FAQs
This verse functions as a catalog-style marker, preserving traditional classifications and counts of divine groups used in Purāṇic cosmology and ritual-literary memory.
It does not directly describe the soul’s post-death journey; instead, it contributes to the Purāṇa’s broader cosmological framework that later chapters use when discussing worlds, divine jurisdictions, and moral order.
Use it as a reminder that Purāṇas often teach through structured lists—supporting disciplined study, careful recitation, and accurate preservation of traditional categories rather than improvisation.