Shloka 19

मन्वन्तर-क्रमः (अतीत-सप्तमन्वन्तराः) तथा मन्वन्तरावताराः

Devanagari script

नरः ख्यातिः शान्तहयो जानुजङ्घादयस् तथा पुत्रास् तु तामसस्यासन् राजानः सुमहाबलाः

Transliteration

naraḥ khyātiḥ śāntahayo jānujaṅghādayas tathā putrās tu tāmasasyāsan rājānaḥ sumahābalāḥ

Translation

Nara, Khyāti, Śāntahaya, Jānujaṅgha and others were the sons of Tāmasa—kings of extraordinary might.

Word by Word

• नरः: Nara
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘Nara’

• ख्यातिः: Khyāti
• ख्यातिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख्याति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘Khyāti’

• शान्तहयः: Śāntahaya
• शान्तहयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्त (प्रातिपदिक) + हय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘Śāntahaya’ (proper name; lit. ‘calm-horse’)

• जानुजङ्घादयः: Jānujaṅghā and others
• जानुजङ्घादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानुजङ्घा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘Jānujaṅghā and others’ (ādi-compound)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘sons’

• तु: indeed, and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — विरोध/विशेष (particle ‘but/indeed’)

• तामसस्य: of Tāmasa
• तामसस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तामस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — ‘of Tāmasa’

• आसन्: were
• आसन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘were’

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘kings’

• सुमहाबलाः: very mighty
• सुमहाबलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘राजानः’) ‘very great in strength’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Who were the royal sons (rājānaḥ) of Tāmasa Manu?

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Tamasa

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In each Manu-cycle, governance is entrusted to designated royal lineages whose strength is meant to serve the maintenance of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use authority—at home, work, or society—as stewardship: protect the vulnerable, uphold fairness, and restrain force by ethics.

Vishishtadvaita: Social order (varṇa/āśrama and rājadharma) is a functional limb of the Lord’s cosmic body, sustained through rightful rulers.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Rājadharma (kṣātra-protection and governance)

Key Kings: Nara, Khyāti, Śāntahaya, Jānujaṅgha

Characters & Entities

• Tāmasa (Manu)
• Nara
• Khyāti
• Śāntahaya
• Jānujaṅgha
• Kings

FAQs

What is the significance of listing kings in the Tāmasa Manvantara in the Vishnu Purana?

It anchors cosmic time (Manvantara cycles) in concrete royal genealogies, showing how dharma and governance unfold through specific rulers within Vishnu’s ordered universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Manvantara framework through this verse?

By naming Tāmasa Manu’s sons as powerful kings, Parāśara ties the abstract Manvantara period to a lineage of rulers, making the epoch identifiable through genealogy and succession.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this genealogical context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s premise is that Manvantaras, kingship, and lineage arise within Vishnu’s supreme governance—history and sovereignty functioning as part of His cosmic order.