Shloka 11

मन्वन्तर-क्रमः (अतीत-सप्तमन्वन्तराः) तथा मन्वन्तरावताराः

Devanagari script

ऊर्जः स्तम्भस् तथा प्राणो दत्तोलिर् ऋषभस् तथा निश्चरश् चार्वरीवांश् च तत्र सप्तर्षयो ऽभवन्

Transliteration

ūrjaḥ stambhas tathā prāṇo dattolir ṛṣabhas tathā niścaraś cārvarīvāṃś ca tatra saptarṣayo 'bhavan

Translation

In that Manvantara arose the Seven Seers—Ūrja, Stambha, Prāṇa, Dattoḷi, Ṛṣabha, Niścara, and Cārvarīvān—who, under the supreme rule of Viṣṇu, upheld the worlds by austerity and sacred vision.

Word by Word

• ūrjaḥ: Ūrja (name)
• ūrjaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrjas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• stambhaḥ: Stambha (name)
• stambhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stambha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tathā: and also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (conjunctive/adverbial: 'and/also')

• prāṇaḥ: Prāṇa (name)
• prāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dattoliḥ: Dattoli (name)
• dattoliḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dattoli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ṛṣabhaḥ: Ṛṣabha (name)
• ṛṣabhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tathā: and also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (conjunctive/adverbial: 'and/also')

• niścaraḥ: Niścara (name)
• niścaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• cārvarīvān: Cārvarīvān (name)
• cārvarīvān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cārvarīvān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction 'and')

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place: 'there')

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (सप्तर्षयः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (agreeing with saptarṣayaḥ)

• saptarṣayaḥ: the Seven Sages
• saptarṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (संख्यापूर्वकः)

• abhavan: were/occurred
• abhavan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Manvantara succession—names of rulers, seers, and divine orders in each Manu-cycle

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Svarochisha

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In each Manvantara, the saptarṣis are divinely appointed sustainers of ṛta/dharma under Viṣṇu’s supreme governance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Honor and preserve dharma through disciplined living and study, seeing cosmic order mirrored in ethical order.

Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu is the inner ruler (antaryāmin) who coordinates cosmic offices (ṛṣis) as His instruments.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Ūrja
• Stambha
• Prāṇa
• Dattoḷi
• Ṛṣabha
• Niścara
• Cārvarīvān
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of the Saptarishis in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies the specific Seven Sages for a particular Manvantara, indicating that each cosmic age has its own rishi-council that upholds dharma and transmits Vedic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Manvantara system to Maitreya?

Parāśara explains Manvantara as an ordered cycle in which key offices recur—Manu, Indra, and the Saptarishis—each set changing with the age while the cosmic rule remains grounded in Viṣṇu.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse lists sages by name, the Purāṇic frame treats their manifestation and authority as functioning within Viṣṇu’s supreme governance, emphasizing him as the sustaining reality behind cosmic order.