Shloka 4

Devanagari script

मनोर् अजायन्त दश नड्वलायां महौजसः कन्यायां तपतां श्रेष्ठ वैराजस्य प्रजापतेः

Transliteration

manor ajāyanta daśa naḍvalāyāṃ mahaujasaḥ kanyāyāṃ tapatāṃ śreṣṭha vairājasya prajāpateḥ

Translation

O best of ascetics, from Manu were born ten mighty sons through Naḍvalā, the daughter of the great Prajāpati Vairāja.

Word by Word

• मनोः: of Manu
• मनोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अजायन्त: were born
• अजायन्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दश (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: संख्या-अव्यय (cardinal numeral, indeclinable in common use)

• नड्वलायाम्: in Naḍvalā
• नड्वलायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नड्वला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• महौजसः: of great vigor
• महौजसः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महौजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वैराजस्य प्रजापतेः)

• कन्यायाम्: in (his) daughter
• कन्यायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तपताम्: of the ascetics (those who practice austerity)
• तपताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपत् (कृदन्त; √तप् धातु, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle)

• श्रेष्ठ: O best (one)
• श्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• वैराजस्य: of Vairāja
• वैराजस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रजापतेः: of Prajāpati
• प्रजापतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रजानां पतिः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Issue of Cākṣuṣa Manu—his consort and the ten sons who extend creation.

Teaching: Genealogical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Cakshusha

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Progeny and social continuity are presented as instruments of cosmic maintenance within a Manvantara, guided by dharma and prajāpati order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat family, work, and civic responsibility as loka-saṅgraha when aligned with dharma—creating stability rather than mere self-interest.

Vishishtadvaita: World-order (prajā and governance) is a meaningful divine mode: the Lord’s purpose is served through embodied relations, not negated by them.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Prajā-vistāra (righteous expansion of progeny) in service of loka-saṅgraha.

Key Kings: Cākṣuṣa Manu, Naḍvalā, Vairāja Prajāpati

Characters & Entities

• Manu
• Naḍvalā
• Vairāja Prajāpati
• Ten sons of Manu

FAQs

What is the significance of Manu’s ten sons in the Vishnu Purana?

They function as foundational progenitors in the genealogical map of the Purana, marking how human and royal lines proliferate within a Manvantara under cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain lineage formation in this chapter?

He presents genealogy as a sacred, ordered transmission—from Prajāpatis to their daughters and onward to Manu’s offspring—showing creation as structured continuity rather than random emergence.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this genealogical context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Purana frames these lineages as operating within Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic governance—genealogy becomes a record of dharmic order upheld by the Supreme Reality.