Shloka 22

Origins of the Maruts — Origins of the Maruts Across the Manvantaras (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)

Devanagari script

मरुतो नाम यूयं वै भविष्यध्वं वियच्चराः इत्येवमुक्त्वा देवेशो ब्रह्म लोकपितामहः

Transliteration

maruto nāma yūyaṃ vai bhaviṣyadhvaṃ viyaccarāḥ ityevamuktvā deveśo brahma lokapitāmahaḥ

Translation

‘நீங்கள் “மருத்” எனும் பெயரால் நிச்சயமாக அறியப்படுவீர்கள்; ஆகாயத்தில் உலாவுவீர்கள்.’ என்று கூறி, தேவர்களின் ஈசனும் உலகப் பிதாமகனுமான பிரஹ்மா (அவ்வாறு விதித்தார்).

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) describing Brahmā’s ordinance regarding the Maruts (addressed to Nārada in the surrounding discourse).

Primary Deities

• Brahmā
• Maruts

Key Themes

• Manvantara framework
• Origin and naming of divine classes (gaṇas)
• Vedic storm-deities in Purāṇic genealogy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Who are the Maruts in Purāṇic cosmology, and why does Brahmā ‘name’ them here?

The Maruts are a collective class of deities associated with wind, storms, and atmospheric power, prominent already in the Veda. Purāṇas often systematize such Vedic groups by assigning them origins, names, and placements within Manvantaras. Here Brahmā’s ‘naming’ functions as a creative ordinance: it fixes their identity and cosmic role as ‘sky-ranging’ deities.

Does ‘deveśa’ normally refer to Indra—why is it applied to Brahmā?

While ‘deveśa’ can denote Indra or Śiva/Viṣṇu in other contexts, it is also a general epithet meaning ‘lord among gods.’ In cosmogonic passages, Brahmā is frequently styled as the administrative sovereign of creation, hence ‘deveśa’ and ‘lokapitāmaha’ are coherent here.

What does ‘viyat-carāḥ’ imply about their function?

It marks their sphere of operation: the mid-region/sky (antarikṣa), consistent with Maruts as atmospheric powers—mobile, forceful, and associated with winds, storms, and the dynamic movement between earth and heaven.