Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 46, Shloka 33
Adhyaya 46 — Cosmic Dissolution, the Emergence of Brahma, and the Measures of Time (Yugas, Manvantaras, and Brahma’s Day)
देवाः सप्तर्षयः सेन्द्रा मनुस्तत्सूनवो नृपाः ।
मनुना सह सृज्यन्ते संह्रियन्ते च पूर्ववत् ॥
devāḥ saptarṣayaḥ sendrā manus tat-sūnavo nṛpāḥ | manunā saha sṛjyante saṃhriyante ca pūrvavat ||
The gods, the Seven Ṛṣis, the gods together with Indra, Manu, and the kings who are his sons—along with Manu they are created, and they are withdrawn again, just as before.
FAQs
Even exalted offices (Indrahood, cosmic seerhood) are time-bound; the teaching encourages humility and commitment to dharma rather than attachment to status.
Manvantara is explicit; Sarga and Pratisarga are also explicit through ‘created’ and ‘withdrawn’ (sṛṣṭi/saṃhāra) recurring each cycle.
The repeating ‘Indra + Saptarṣi + Manu’ triad encodes cosmic governance: power (Indra), wisdom (ṛṣis), and law/order (Manu) cycling to maintain dharma in each epoch.