Shloka 6

Adhyaya 73 — The Uttama Manvantara: Classes of Devas, Indra Sushanti, and the Royal Lineage

Sanskrit

एते देवगणाः पञ्च स्मृता यज्ञभुजस्तथा ।

मन्वन्तरे मनुश्रेष्ठे सर्वे द्वादशका गणाः ॥

Transliteration

ete devagaṇāḥ pañca smṛtā yajñabhujas tathā | manvantare manuśreṣṭhe sarve dvādaśakā gaṇāḥ ||

Translation

ଦେବତାଙ୍କର ଏହି ପାଞ୍ଚ ଗଣ ଏବଂ ଯଜ୍ଞଭାଗୀମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସ୍ମରଣୀୟ। ସେଇ ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ମନୁଙ୍କ ମନ୍ୱନ୍ତରରେ ଏହି ସମସ୍ତ ଗଣ ଦ୍ୱାଦଶ ବର୍ଗରେ ବିନ୍ୟସ୍ତ।

Word by Word

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• देवगणाः: groups of gods
• देवगणाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां गणाः)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; बहुवचनार्थे (qualifying plural)

• स्मृताः: are remembered/are said
• स्मृताः: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle, क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘are said/remembered’

• यज्ञभुजः: partakers of the sacrifice
• यज्ञभुजः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + भुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञं भुञ्जते इति)

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय/समुच्चयार्थ-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘also/likewise’)

• मन्वन्तरे: in a Manvantara
• मन्वन्तरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मनुश्रेष्ठे: in (the time of) the best Manu
• मनुश्रेष्ठे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठः मनुः)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• द्वादशकाः: twelvefold / in groups of twelve
• द्वादशकाः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (groups of twelve)

• गणाः: groups
• गणाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speakers

• Puranic narrator describing Manvantara order (frame-speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Manvantara
• Ritual (Yajña)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Cosmic order is presented as structured and repeatable across epochs: the same sacrificial and divine offices recur in each Manu-era, reinforcing the idea of ṛta (ordered regularity) behind ritual and governance.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: it explicitly organizes beings and offices within a particular Manu’s reign, a core purāṇic characteristic.

What is the esoteric significance?

The “twelvefold grouping” can be read as a symbolic partitioning of cosmic functions (time/space/ritual offices) into complete cycles, suggesting that yajña is the axis by which divine roles are harmonized.