A. Royden D'souza

Tamasa was born in the lineage of the first Manu, descended from Uttānapāda, the father of Dhruva. He was called Tāmasa, meaning “born under the shadow,” not because he was evil, but because he would rule an age where the light of Dharma would face deep and persistent obscurations.

Cākṣuṣa did not come from the line of Priyavrata, unlike the previous Manus. He came from the lineage of the Cakṣus, a race of semi-divine visionaries who were said to be born of the eye of Brahmā, hence the name.

Among the many sons of Priyavrata, grandson of the first Manu, there was one child unlike the rest. His mother found that when he slept, the darkness of the hut thinned, as though a subtle dawn seeped out of his skin.