Swayambhuva Manu: The First Man and the Law of Creation

Early Satya (Krita) Yuga

In the beginning, after the cosmic dissolution (pralaya), only the unmanifested Brahman existed — infinite, formless, and beyond time. From that stillness, the Creator, Brahmā, was born on the lotus that emerged from the navel of Viṣṇu (who is considered the manifestation of Brahman, the source of everything).

Tasked with creating the worlds and beings, Brahmā meditated upon the Supreme Being and began the process of sarga (primary creation).

From his mind and body arose various Prajāpatis (progenitors). Among them, he willed into existence Svāyambhuva Manu, whose name means “the self-born one” — “Svayambhū” (self-existent, i.e., Brahmā) and Manu (thinker or progenitor of mankind).

Thus, Svāyambhuva Manu was not born of a womb, but directly from Brahmā’s will — the first man, archetype of humanity, and the embodiment of reason, order, and dharma.

Vishnu Avatar: The Sacrificial Incarnation, Yajna

In this dawn-age, the first Manu, Svāyambhuva, the mind-born son of Brahmā, was entrusted with stabilizing existence. But the early cosmos trembled with uncertainty—the elements restless, the senses raw, the newly-born beings unable to sustain dharma.

To guide this infant universe, Viṣṇu manifested in His first manvantara form. He appeared as Yajña, the embodiment of sacred order (ṛta)and the living flame of cosmic sacrifice.

His form was golden like the first sunrise, radiant yet serene, the very essence of balance. He carried no weapons. His power was the law of harmony itself, stilling the chaos that lingered after creation.

Yajña’s presence taught the gods and being show to channel their energies through sacrifice, discipline, and truth. He was the ritual given form, and the ritual became the heartbeat of the universe.

Yajña as Indra of the First Manvantara

In this earliest era, the new Devas called Yāmas and Tuṣitas looked to Yajña for leadership. And so Viṣṇu, in this form, became the Indra of the age, ruling the heavens for the first cosmic cycle.

This is the only manvantara where Viṣṇu Himself serves as Indra, showing that the foundations of the world must be laid by the One who sustains it.

Under Yajña’s reign:

• the Devas learned the disciplines of truth

• sages learned the rhythms of austerity

• humans learned the first laws of harmony

• demons were pacified by the sheer force of order

• the cosmos found its balance

Yajña did not fight wars in this manvantara. He prevented them, by stabilizing the very fabric of thought and element. He embodied the idea that when dharma is freshly born, even chaos bows its head.

In this form, Viṣṇu also fathered the Suyāmas, divine sons whose role was to uphold the first principles of cosmic harmony. They became the pillars of early dharma and guided the gods and humans in the delicate age of beginnings.

This was an era where Viṣṇu, as Yajña, sat at the heart of everything, quietly anchoring all existence so that the next manvantaras could unfold.

Swayambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā: The First Couple

Brahmā also created Śatarūpā, whose name means “the one with a hundred forms.” She was the first woman, endowed with beauty, grace, and the creative power to give life. Brahmā gave Śatarūpā in marriage to Swayambhuva Manu, blessing them to populate the earth and uphold righteousness.

Together, Manu and Śatarūpā became the first householders (gṛhasthas), establishing the foundations of human civilization — family, duty, and worship.

They had five children:

• Two sons – Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, who became great kings and progenitors of dynasties.

• Three daughters – Ākūti, Devahūti, and Prasūti, who were married to the sages Ruci, Kardama, and Dakṣa, respectively.

  
  

Thus, from them, the entire human race and the lines of sages and devas were born.

First Manu’s Rule and the Dawn of Civilization

Svāyambhuva Manu established his capital at Brahmāvarta, located between the rivers Sarasvatī and Drishadvatī — the cradle of early civilization in Vedic lore. From here, he ruled over the earth with justice, guided by Brahmā’s counsel and divine law.

The Viṣṇu Purāṇa (Book I, Ch. 7) describes him as a ruler who governed according to dharma, ensuring harmony between men, devas, and nature. Under his reign, the world was peaceful, prosperous, and full of virtue.

Manu divided his kingdom into regions, appointed governors, and laid down systems for worship, marriage, learning, and the duties of the four varṇas (social orders).

He is credited with the earliest codification of law and conduct, which later became the foundation of the Manusmṛti (Laws of Manu) — the archetype for all later dharmaśāstras.

Manu and the Sages

Manu was a disciple of Nārada, Brahmā’s son, and frequently sought his advice on ethics and cosmic order. In gratitude for his wisdom, Manu composed hymns in praise of Viṣṇu, declaring that all existence depends on the preservation of dharma through right conduct.

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa (3.22.2–6) tells that Manu journeyed across the earth, meeting sages and establishing sacred sites (tīrthas), where he performed aśvamedha yajñas (horse sacrifices) to sanctify the land.

It was during these journeys that he met Kardama Prajāpati, whom he offered his daughter Devahūti in marriage — a union ordained by Viṣṇu Himself, as the divine sage Kapila would be born from them.

Manu as the First Lawgiver

Manu meditated on the Supreme and received direct insight into Dharma, which he codified as The Laws of Manu. Though Manusmṛti was composed later, it attributes its authority to Svāyambhuva Manu, who is seen as the archetypal lawgiver, like Hammurabi or Solon in other traditions.

The Manusmṛti outlines the principles of:

• Duties of kings and citizens

• Varṇa and āśrama (social and life stages)

• Ethics, justice, and governance

• Family laws and moral conduct

• Cosmic and ritual law (ṛta)

  
  

It became the foundation for all later dharmaśāstra literature and is considered divinely inspired — the crystallization of Manu’s vision of an ordered, righteous world.

Spiritual Role and Attainment

Svāyambhuva Manu is not only the first king but also a great yogi and devotee (bhakta). The Bhāgavata Purāṇa (3.21.31–32) notes that he regularly worshiped Lord Viṣṇu and saw all his duties as service to the divine.

His wife Śatarūpā too was deeply spiritual, engaging in meditation beside him. Together, they renounced worldly attachments in their old age and attained the abode of Satyaloka, the realm of Brahmā.

Legacy and the Line of Manus

Svāyambhuva Manu’s reign marked the first Manvantara (epoch of a Manu), lasting 4,320,000 years × 71 yugas, as per Purāṇic cosmology. Each Manvantara has its own Manu who oversees the cycle of creation and dharma.

In total, there are 14 Manus in a kalpa (a day of Brahmā), and Svāyambhuva is the first, setting the cosmic pattern for all who follow.

Through his sons and daughters, Svāyambhuva Manu became the forefather of humankind — the source from whom all later lineages emerged. From his distant descendant Vaivasvata Manu arose the Solar (Sūrya-vaṃśa) and Lunar (Candra-vaṃśa) dynasties, giving birth to kings such as Ikṣvāku, Raghu, Daśaratha, and Rāma.

Thus, every hero of the epics ultimately traces their distant ancestry back to Svāyambhuva Manu, the primordial father of mankind.

Sources:

• Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Canto 3 (Chapters 21–24); Canto 8, Chapter 24 (Matsya-avatāra)

• Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Book I, Chapters 7–13

• Matsya Purāṇa, Chapters 2–4

• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, 349–351

• Manusmṛti, traditionally attributed to Svāyambhuva Manu

• Padma Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa

• Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Canto I, Section II