In the reign of Tāmasa the fourth Manu, the Surupas, Haris, Satyas and Sudhis were the orders of the celestials each consisting of twenty-seven. Sivi was their king who was named Satakratu by his performance of hundred sacrifices; the seven Rishis were Jyotirdhāmā, Prithu, Kāvya, Chaitra, Agni, Vanaka and Pivara. The sons of Tāmasa were the powerful kings Nara, Khyāti, Sāntahaya, Jānujangha and others.
In the fifth Manwantara Raivata was the Manu: Indra was their king and the celestials were Amitābhas, Abhutarajasas, Vaikunthas, and Sumedhasas each consisting of fourteen divinities. The seven Rishis were Hiranyaromā, Vedasri, Urddhabāhu, Vedabāhu, Sudhāman, Parjānya and Mahāmuni. The sons of Raivata were Balabandhu, Susambhavya, Satyaka and other brave kings.
These four Manus, Swārochishas, Uttami, Tāmasa and Raivata were born in the race of Pryavrata who propitiated Vishnu by his devotions and obtained in consequence thereof these rulers of Manwāntaras as his son.
In the sixth Manwantara Chākshusha was the Manu, when Manojava became the king of the celestials who were grouped as Adyas, Prastutas, Bhavyas, Prithugas, and the high-minded Lekhas each consisting of eight divinities; the seven Rishis were Sumedhas, Virajas, Havishmat, Uttama, Madhu, Abhinaman and Sahishnu. The sons of Chakshusha were the mighty Uru, Puru, Satadyumna and other kings of the earth.
O twice-born one, the Manu, who reigns in the present period is the wise and illustrious lord of obsequies the offspring of the sun. The celestials are the Adityas, Vasus and Rudras. Their king is Purandara. Vasishtha, Kasyapa, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama, Viswamitra and Bharadwaja are the seven Rishis. And the nine pious sons of Vaivaswata Manu are the kings Ikshawku, Nabhaga, Dhrista, Sanyati, Narishyanta, Nabhanidishta, Karusha, Prishadhra and the well known Vasumat.
The incomparable energy of Vishnu, at one with the quality of goodness and preserving all created things, rules overall the Manwantaras in the shape of divinity. From a part of that divinity Yajna was born in the Swāyambhuva Manwantara the will-begotten child of Akuti. And at the arrival of the Manwantara of Swārochisha the irrepressible Yajna was born as Ajita along with Tushitas the sons of Tushitā. And at the advent of the Manwantara of Auttama, Tushitas were born as the excellent Satyas, of Satya. In the Manwantara of Tāmasa, Satya became Hari along with the Haris, the children of Hari. And in the Raivata Manwantara of Sambhuti the excellent Hari was born as Manasa along with the celestials called Abhutarajasas.
In the next Manwantara Vishnu was born of Vikunthi, as Vaikuntha along with the celestials called Vaikunthas. In the present period Vishnu was again born as Vamana the son of Kasyapa by Aditi. With three paces he conquered the worlds and having released them from all disturbances he gave them to Purandara. By these seven persons, in the various Manwantaras, the created beings have been preserved. He is called Vishnu because his energy pervades the whole world from the root Vis to 'enter' or 'pervade:' and all the celestials, the Manus, the kings of the gods are but the impersonations of the power of Vishnu.
SECTION II.
Maitreya said:—O foremost of Brāhmins, you have described to me the seven Manwantaras that have passed away. It behoves you to describe now the Manwantaras that shall take place in future.
Parāçara said Sanjnā, the daughter of Viswakarman, was the wife of the sun, and bore him three children, the Manu Vaivaswata, Yama and the goddess Yami. Being unable to endure the fervours of her husband, she engaged Chāya in his attendance and repaired to the forest to practise devout austerities. Considering that Chāya as Sanjnā, he got upon her three other children—Sanaischra (Saturn) another Manu Sāvarni and a daughter Tapati. Once on a time being offended with Yama, the son of Sanjnā, Chāya imprecated a curse upon him and gave out to Yama and the sun that she was not in reality Sanjnā the mother of the former. (Having heard this) the sun, by his meditation saw her as a mare in the region of Uttara Kuru.