Shloka 57

Origins of the Maruts — Across the Manvantaras

Devanagari script

तामसस्य मनोः पुत्रो ऋतध्वज इति श्रुतः स पुत्रर्थो जुहावाग्नौ स्वमांसं रुधिरं तथा

Transliteration

tāmasasya manoḥ putro ṛtadhvaja iti śrutaḥ sa putrartho juhāvāgnau svamāṃsaṃ rudhiraṃ tathā

Translation

The son of the Manu Tāmasa was famed as Ṛtadhvaja. Desiring a son, he offered into the fire his own flesh, and likewise his blood.

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice continuing the Tāmasa-Manvantara account; interlocutors not explicit in the excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Agni

Key Themes

• Putrārtha rites (desire for progeny)
• Austerity and extreme sacrifice
• Ritual power and merit
• Manvantara genealogies

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

How should we understand the offering of one’s own flesh and blood—literal or exemplary?

Purāṇic literature often uses hyperbolic or exemplary acts to communicate the intensity of tapas and sacrificial resolve. Some traditions read such passages as literal marvels within mythic time; others treat them as didactic extremes underscoring that desire-driven rites demand severe commitment and that ritual potency is tied to self-surrender.

What does the name Ṛtadhvaja suggest about the character?

Ṛta denotes cosmic truth/order (a Vedic concept). ‘Ṛtadhvaja’ (‘bannered by ṛta’) implies alignment with cosmic law and ritual correctness, fitting a figure introduced through a powerful sacrificial act.

Is Agni a ‘primary deity’ here or merely the ritual medium?

Both: Agni is the sacrificial fire and also a deity who conveys offerings. In Purāṇic ritual descriptions, Agni functions as divine recipient/mediator, so he is appropriately tagged as the engaged deity in this verse.