Shloka 15

मानससृष्टिः, रुद्रोत्पत्तिः, मन्वादिवंशः, प्रलयचतुष्टयम्

Devanagari script

शतरूपां च तां नारीं तपोनिर्धूतकल्मषाम् स्वायम्भुवो मनुर् देवः पत्नीत्वे जगृहे विभुः

Transliteration

śatarūpāṃ ca tāṃ nārīṃ taponirdhūtakalmaṣām svāyambhuvo manur devaḥ patnītve jagṛhe vibhuḥ

Translation

And that woman Śatarūpā—her impurities washed away by austerity—was taken by the divine, mighty Svāyambhuva Manu as his wife.

Word by Word

• शतरूपाम्: Śatarūpā
• शतरूपाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतरूपा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थक निपातः

• ताम्: her/that (woman)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• नारीम्: woman
• नारीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• तपोनिर्धूतकल्मषाम्: whose sins were washed away by austerity
• तपोनिर्धूतकल्मषाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस् + निर्धूत + कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक; √धू क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (तपसा निर्धूतं कल्मषं यस्याः)

• स्वायम्भुवः: Svāyambhuva
• स्वायम्भुवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वायम्भुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; मनोः विशेषणम्

• मनुः: Manu
• मनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• देवः: the godlike one
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• पत्नीत्वे: as (his) wife
• पत्नीत्वे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नीत्व (प्रातिपदिक; भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; हेत्वर्थे/प्रयोजनार्थे (as wifehood)

• जगृहे: accepted/took
• जगृहे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्

• विभुः: the mighty one
• विभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How progeny begins through Manu and Śatarūpā in the first Manvantara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Svayambhuva

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Austerity purifies (taponirdhūtakalmaṣā), and righteous household union becomes a sanctioned channel for sustaining human order within divine creation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat relationships and family life as disciplines grounded in purity, restraint, and duty; let inner purification precede major life commitments.

Vishishtadvaita: Worldly life is not rejected; when aligned to the Lord’s ordinance it becomes a valid mode of service within His cosmic order.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Gṛhastha-dharma (ordered household life)

Key Kings: Svayambhuva Manu, Shatarupa

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Characters & Entities

• Śatarūpā
• Svāyambhuva Manu
• Brahmā (implicit via Svāyambhuva)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śatarūpā being described as purified by tapas in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames the first human lineage as grounded in inner purity and dharma—progeny meant to uphold cosmic order, not merely biological continuation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the beginning of human lineage through Svāyambhuva Manu?

By presenting Manu’s acceptance of Śatarūpā as the pivotal, divinely sanctioned transition from creation to stable social and genealogical continuity.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named in the verse, the narrative assumes Vishnu’s sovereignty: the moral order (dharma), purification, and lineage unfold within the Supreme Lord’s sustaining design.