Shloka 69
मगाश् च मागधाश् चैव मानसा मन्दगास् तथा मगा ब्राह्मणभूयिष्ठा मागधाः क्षत्रियास् तु ते वैश्यास् तु मानसास् तेषां शूद्रास् तेषां तु मन्दगाः
magāś ca māgadhāś caiva mānasā mandagās tathā magā brāhmaṇabhūyiṣṭhā māgadhāḥ kṣatriyās tu te vaiśyās tu mānasās teṣāṃ śūdrās teṣāṃ tu mandagāḥ
There were also the Magas, the Māgadhas, the Mānasas, and likewise the Mandagas. Of these, the Magas were predominantly of brahminical standing; the Māgadhas were of kṣatriya rank; the Mānasas were vaiśyas; and among them, the Mandagas were regarded as śūdras.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Ethno-social classification within the regions (Magas, Māgadhas, Mānasas, Mandagas) and their varṇa predominance
Teaching: Historical
Quality: descriptive
Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas
FAQs
In Ansha 4’s genealogical narrative, such lists function as a Purāṇic catalogue that ties peoples and communities to the broader dharma-order maintained under Vishnu’s cosmic sovereignty.
Parāśara assigns each named group a predominant varṇa-status—Magas as chiefly brahminical, Māgadhas as kṣatriya, Mānasas as vaiśya, and Mandagas as śūdra—presenting a schematic taxonomy within the unfolding lineage account.
Even when the verse is administrative or genealogical, the Vishnu Purana’s frame is that social order and historical continuity operate within Vishnu’s overarching governance of dharma and the world-cycle.