Sraddhadeva Manu (Adam) > ILA >Lunal Dynasty([][] Ikshvaku> Solar Dynasty)

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Matsya protecting Sraddhadeva Manu and the seven sages at the time of Deluge
Matsya avatar of Vishnu pulls Manu's boat after having defeated a demon.
In Hindu mythology, Sraddhadeva Manu is the current Manu and the progenitor of the current humanity (manvantara). He is the seventh of the 14 Manus of the current kalpa (aeon).
Sraddhadeva was the king of Dravida before the great flood. Forewarned about the flood by the matsya avatar of Vishnu (Enki?), he saved the humanity by building a boat that carried his family and the seven sages to safety. He is the son of Vivasvat, and therefore, is also known as Vaivasvata.[1]Besides, he is also called Satyavrata ("the honest one").

Ancestry[edit]

According to the Puranas, the genealogy of Sraddhadeva is as follows:[2]
  1. Brahma
  2. Marichi, one of the 10 Prajapatis created by Brahma.
  3. Kashyapa, son of Marichi and Kala. Kashyapa is regarded as the father of humanity.
  4. Vivasvan or Surya, son of Kashyapa and Aditi.
  5. Vaivasvata Manu, originally Satyavrata, son of Vivasvan (Surya) and Saranyu (Saṃjñā)

The Great Deluge[edit]

Matsya avatar.
Sraddhadeva was the king of Dravida (in present-day South India) during the epoch of the Matsya Purana.[3] According to the Matsya Purana, the Matsya Avatar of Vishnu first appeared as a shaphari (a small carp), to Sraddhadeva, while he washed his hands in a river flowing down the Malaya Mountains in his land of Dravida.[4]
The little fish asked the king to save Him, and out of compassion, he put it in a water jar. It kept growing bigger and bigger, until the king first put it in a bigger pitcher, and then deposited it in a well. When the well also proved insufficient for the ever-growing fish, the King placed it in a tank (reservoir), that was two yojanas (16 miles) in height above the surface and on land, as much in length, and a yojana (8 miles) in breadth.[5][6] As it grew further, the king had to put the fish in a river, and when even the river proved insufficient, he placed it in the ocean, after which it nearly filled the vast expanse of the great ocean.
It was then that Vishnu, revealing himself, informed the king of an all-destructive deluge which would be coming very soon.[7][8][9] The king built a huge boat which housed his family, the seven sages, 9 types of seeds, and animals to repopulate the earth, after the deluge would end and the oceans and seas would recede. At the time of deluge, Vishnu appeared as a horned fish and Shesha appeared as a rope, with which the king fastened the boat to horn of the fish.[10]
The boat was perched after the deluge on the top of the Malaya Mountains.[11][7][8] After the deluge, Manu's family and the seven sages repopulated the earth.
This narrative is similar to other flood myths such as that of Gilgamesh and Noah.[12]

Descendants[edit]

Sraddhadeva married Shraddha and had ten children including Ila and Ikshvaku, the progenitors of the Lunar Dynasty and Solar Dynasty respectively.
The Mahabharata states:[13][14]
"And Manu was endowed with great wisdom and devoted to virtue. And he became the progenitor of a line. And in Manu's race have been born all human beings, who have, therefore, been called Manavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshattriyas, and others have been descended, and are therefore all called Manavas. Subsequently, the Brahmanas became united with the Kshattriyas. And those sons of Manu that were Brahmanas devoted themselves to the study of the Vedas. And Manu begot ten other children named Vena, Dhrishnu, Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, the eighth, a daughter named Ila,[15] Prishadhru the ninth, and Nabhagarishta, the tenth. They all betook themselves to the practices of Kshattriyas. Besides these, Manu had fifty other sons on Earth. But we heard that they all perished, quarrelling with one another."

Ikshvaku (Sanskrit: इक्ष्वाकु, ikṣvāku (from the word Sanskrit: इक्षु, ikṣu which means ‘sugar cane’[1]); Pali: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Ikshvaku-Vansh, or Suryavansh Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.

Lineage details below as per the Valmiki Ramayana
  1. Lord Brahma
  2. Marichi (son of Brahma)
  3. Sage Kashyapa (son of Marichi)
  4. Vivasvan (Surya) (son of Sage Kashyapa)
  5. Manu (Vaivasvatha) (Father of humanity)
  6. Ikshvaku (Manu's son)
  7. 40. Rama
  8. 41. Luv and Kush (Sons of Rama and Sita)

In Vedic History[edit]

Ikshvaku was one of the earliest monarchs of India, and played a pivotal role in the propagation of the ancient Vedic religion.

In Jainism History[edit]

The Ikshvaku clan said to began from the first Tirthankara, Rishabha, who is regarded as the first King on the earth of this Avsarpini cycle.[4] According to Jainism, Rishabha was born to Nabhi Raja and Marudevi at Ayodhya. Rishabdev had 101 sons of whom the eldest was Bharata and second son was Bahubali. Rishabha, after completing his tenure as a King, gave up all his possessions to his 101 sons and became a Sadhu.
Jain history provides two explanations how the word "Ikshvaku" came about. According to one version, after Rishabdev fasted for one year, he took his first aahar (food), which was IkshRas(Sugarcane Juice). This Sugarcane Juice was given to Rishabdev by King Shreyansha. Thus from this event, Rishabdev was given the name of Ikshvaku and his lineage was called as Ikshvaku Vansh (Family of Ikshvaku). According to another version,when lord Rishab was a kid, he was offered several fruits, out of those he choose sugarcane and started chewing it. Indra came to worship Rishab dev. When he saw lord Rishab chewing sugarcane, he gave the name Ikshvaku, meaning "sugarcane eating", thus his clan adopted this name in honor.[5]Thus according to Jainism, Ikshvaku was another name for Rishabdev.

In Buddhism[edit]

In Buddhism Ikshvaku is an epithet of Śakya Simha Buddha.

House of Ikshvaku[edit]

Across the length and breadth of Greater India, numerous royal families have claimed to have belonged to the House of Ikshvaku, which was synonymous with the Solar Dynasty. Great kings like Bhagiratha and Dasaratha were among the kings in the line before Lord Rama.

In Literature[edit]

Author Amish Tripathi's latest series is titled Scion of Ikshvaku and covers the reign of a king in that dynasty- Rama. Another book, titled The Seal of Surya, covers the life of Ikshvaku and his reign through the genre of historical fiction.

----

Theosophy[edit]

Main article: Manu (Theosophy)
Conversation between Manu and Brihaspati
In Theosophy, the "Vaivasvatu Manu" is one of the most important beings at the highest levels of Initiation of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, along with Maitreya, and the Maha Chohan. According to Theosophy, each root race has its own Manu which physically incarnates in an advanced body of an individual of the old root race and physically progenerates with a suitable female partner the first individuals of the new root race.
encyclopedia
Ila/Ilā
Budhadeva.jpg
Budha with consort Ilā (Ila as a woman)
Devanagariइल/इला
Sanskrit TransliterationIla/Ilā
ConsortBudha (as a woman)
Ila is an androgyne in Hindu mythology, known for his/her sex changes. As a man, he is known as Ila (Sanskrit: इल) or Sudyumna and as a woman, is called Ilā (Sanskrit: इला). Ilā is considered the chief progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty (Chandravamsha or Somavamsha) of Indian kings - also known as the Ailas ("descendants of Ilā").
While many versions of the tale exist, Ila is usually described as a daughter or son of Vaivasvata Manu and thus the sibling of Ikshvaku, the founder of the Solar Dynasty (Arkavamsha or Suryavansha). In versions in which Ila is born a girl, she is changed to a boy by divine grace soon after her birth. After mistakenly entering a sacred grove as an adult, Ila is either cursed to change his/her gender every month or cursed to become a woman. As a woman, Ilā married Budha, the god of the planet Mercury and the son of the moon-god Chandra (Soma), and bore him a son called Pururavas, the father of the Lunar Dynasty. After the birth of Pururavas, Ilā is transformed into a man again and fathered three sons.
In Vedic literature, Ilā is praised as Idā (Sanskrit: इडा), the goddess of speech, and described as mother of Pururavas. The tale of Ila's transformations is told in the Puranic literature as well as the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Birth[edit]

According to the Linga Purana and the Mahabharata, Ilā was born as the eldest daughter of Vaivasvata Manu, the progenitor of mankind, and his wife Shraddha. However, the parents desired a son and so prayed and performed austerities to propitiate the deities Mitra and Varuna, who changed Ilā's gender. The boy was named Sudyumma.[1][2] The Bhagavata Purana, the Devi-Bhagavata Purana,[3] the Kurma Purana, the Harivamsa, the Markandeya Purana and the Padma Purana (referred to as "Bhagavata Purana et al. texts" further) narrate a variant: Ila's parents could not have any children for a long time and approached the sage Agastya for a solution. The sage performed a yagna (sacrifice) dedicated to Mitra and Varuna to attain a son for the couple. Due to either an error in the ritual, or a failure to offer the appropriate sacrifice, Mitra and Varuna instead sent a daughter to the couple. In one version, the couple supplicated the deities, who transformed Ilā's gender. In another version, this transformation happens after the erroneous hymns are rectified and the son is called Ila.[2][4][5][6] According to a variant, Shraddha wished for a daughter; the sage Vasistha heeded her wish while performing the sacrifice and thus, a daughter was born. However, Manu desired a son so Vashistha appealed to the god Vishnu to change the gender of the daughter. Ilā was renamed Sudhyumna.[7] The accounts describe Ila as either the eldest or the youngest child of Manu. As the child of Manu, Ila had nine brothers, the most notable was Ikshvaku, the founder of the Solar Dynasty (Arkavamsha or Suryavansha).[8][9][10] As the son of Manu, Ila is the grandson of Surya, the Sun-god.[11] According to another account found in the Vayu Purana and the Brahmanda Purana, Ilā was born female and remained a female.[10]
In the Ramayana, Ila is born as a son of Kardama, the Prajapati born of the god Brahma's shadow. Ila's tale is told in the Uttara Kanda chapter of the Ramayana, while describing the greatness of the Ashvamedha - the horse sacrifice.[5][12]

Curse and marriage to Budha[edit]

In the Ramayana, the Linga Purana and the Mahabharata, Ila grows to become the king of Bahlika. While hunting in a forest, Ila accidentally trespassed Sharavana ("Forest of Reeds"), the sacred grove of the goddess Parvati, the consort of the god Shiva. Upon entering Sharavana, all male beings except for Shiva, including trees and animals, are transformed into females.[Notes 1] In the Ramayana, even Shiva had assumed the form of a female to please the goddess.[13] One legend tells that a female yakshini disguised herself as a deer and purposefully led Ila to the grove in order to save her husband from the king.[11] The Linga Purana and the Mahabharata emphasize the sex change of Ila to be a deliberate act of Shiva to start the Lunar Dynasty.[1] The Bhagavata Purana et al. texts tell that Ila's entire entourage as well as his horse also changed their genders.[4]
Budha, the husband of Ilā
According to the Ramayana, when Ila approached Shiva for help, Shiva laughed with scorn but the compassionate Parvati reduced the curse and allowed Ila to switch genders every month. However, as a male he would not remember his life as a female and vice versa. While Ilā roamed the forest in her new form with her female attendants, Budha, the god of the planet Mercury and the son of the moon-god Chandra, noticed her. Although he had been practising asceticism, Ilā's beauty caused him to fall in love with her at first sight. Budha turned Ilā's attendants into Kimpurushas (hermaphrodite, lit. "is it a man?")[10][14] and ordered them to run away, promising that they would find mates as Ilā had.[13]
Ilā married Budha and spent an entire month making love to him. However, Ilā woke one morning as Ila and remembered nothing about the past month. Budha told Ila that his retinue had been killed in a rain of stones and convinced Ila to stay with him for a year. During each month she spent as a woman, Ilā had pleasure with Budha. During each month as a man, Ila turned to pious ways and performed austerities under the guidance of Budha. In the ninth month, Ilā gave birth to Pururavas, who grew to become the first king of the Lunar Dynasty. Then, as per the advice of Budha and Ila's father Kardama, Ila pleased Shiva with a horse sacrifice and Shiva restored Ila's masculinity permanently.[5][13]
Another legend from the Vishnu Purana credits Vishnu of restoring Ilā's manhood as Sudyumma.[2][15] The Bhagavata Purana et al. texts tell that after Pururavas's birth, the nine brothers of Ila - by horse sacrifice - or the sage Vasistha – the family priest of Ila – pleased Shiva to compel him to give the boon of alternate month manhood to Ila, turning him into a Kimpurusha.[3][4][9] The Linga Purana and the Mahabharata record the birth of Pururavas, but do not narrate the end of Ila's alternating gender condition. In fact, the Mahabharata describes Ilā to be the mother as well as the father of Pururavas.[16] According to another account found in the Vayu Purana and the Brahmanda Purana, Ilā was born female, married Budha, then was transformed into a male called Sudyumna. Sudyumna was then cursed by Parvati and transformed once again into a female, but became a man once again through Shiva's boon.[10]
In almost all versions of the tale, Ila wants to live as a man, but in the Skanda Purana, Ila desires to be a woman. The king Ela (Ila) entered Parvati's grove at Sahya mountain and became the woman Ilā. Ilā wished to remain a woman and serve Parvati (Gauri) and Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges river. However, the goddesses dissuaded him and told him that life as a woman was a curse and full of sorrow. Ilā bathed in a sacred pool and returned as Ela, bearded and deep-voiced.[5][17]

Later life and descendents[edit]

The descendants of Ilā through Pururavas are known as Ailas after Ilā or as the Lunar Dynasty (Chandravamsa) due to their descent from Budha, the son of the moon-god Chandra.[5] Most versions of tale call Ilā the father as well as the mother of the Ailas.[18] The Linga Purana and the Mahabharata, in which Sudyumma's curse does not end, state that as a male, Sudyumma also bore three sons named Utkala, Gaya and Vinatashva (also known as Haritashva and Vinata).[10] The three sons ruled the kingdom for their father as Sudyumma was unable to do so himself due his alternating gender. The sons and their principalities are called the Saudyumnas. Utkala, Gaya, and Vinatashva ruled Utkala country, Gaya, and eastern regions including northern Kurus respectively.[19][20] With the assistance of the family priest Vasistha, Sudyumma regained control of the entire kingdom. He was succeeded by Pururavas.[1]
In the Matsya Purana, Ila was disinherited after becoming a female or kimpurusha. Ila's father passed his inheritance directly to Pururavas, ignoring the three sons Ila-Sudyumma bore as a male. Pururavas ruled from Pratishtanapura (present-day Allahabad), where Ila stayed with him.[9][21] The Ramayana says that having returned to manhood, Ila ruled Pratishtana while his son Shashabindu ruled over Bahlika.[13] The Devi-Bhagavata Purana tells that as a man Sudyumma governed the kingdom and as a woman remained indoors. His subjects were disturbed by his sex changes and did not respect him as they once had. When Pururavas attained adulthood, Sudyumma left his kingdom to Pururavas and went to the forest for penance. The sageNarada told Sudyumma a nine-syllable mantra, Navakshara, which would please the Supreme Goddess. Pleased with his austerities, the Goddess emerged before Sudyumma, who was in his female form Ilā. Sudyumma praised the Goddess, who merged the king's soul with herself and thus, Ilā gained salvation.[3]
The Bhagavata Purana, the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and the Linga Purana declare that Ila ascended to heaven with both male and female anatomy.[18] Ila is considered the chief progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty through Pururavas and of the Solar Dynasty through his brother Iksavaku and sons Utkala, Gaya, and Vinatashva.[9][22] The marriage of Ilā, a descendant of the Sun, and Budha, the son of the Moon, is the first union of the solar and lunar races recorded in the scriptures.[11]

In Vedic literature[edit]

In Vedic literature, Ilā is also known as Idā. Idā in the Rigveda, signifies food and refreshment, personified as the goddess of speech.[23] Ilā-Idā is also associated with Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge.[6] Ilā-Idā is mentioned a number of times in the Rigveda, mostly in the hymns known as Āprīsūktas. She is often mentioned along with Sarasvati and Bharati (or Mahi) and Pururavas is described as her son.[24] Idā is the instructor of Manu, in performing ritual sacrifices. According to Sayana - a commentator on the Vedas, she presides over the Earth.[23]
In the Shatapatha Brahmana, Manu performed a fire-sacrifice in order to have children. Idā emerged from the sacrifice. She was claimed by Mitra-Varuna, but she lived with Manu and together they initiated the race of Manu.[23][25] In this text, Idā is the goddess of the sacrificial meal. She is described as the Mānavi (daughter of Manu) and Ghṛtapadī (with the ghee-dripping foot) and she is represented by a cow, also known as Idā during a sacrifice.[26][27] Pururavas is mentioned as the son of Ilā in the text.[28]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. Jump up^ Sharavaṇa ("Forest of Reeds") is described as the place where Skanda, the son of Shiva, was born. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana narrates that once the sages intruded on the love-making of Shiva and Parvati so Shiva cursed the forest that all male beings entering it would be transformed into females.

References[edit]

Notes
  1. ^ Jump up to:a b c For Linga Purana and Mahabharata, O'Flaherty p. 303
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Williams, George Mason (2003). Handbook of Hindu mythology. Saint Barbara: ABC-CLIO Inc. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-57607-106-9.
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b c For translation, see Swami Vijnanananda (2008) [1921]. The S'Rimad Devi Bhagawatam1. BiblioBazaar, LLC. pp. 62–6. ISBN 978-1-4375-3059-9.
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b c O'Flaherty pp. 303-4
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Pattanaik p.46
  6. ^ Jump up to:a b Conner & Sparks (1998), p. 183, "Ila/Sudyumna"
  7. Jump up^ Hudson, D. Dennis (2008). The body of God: an emperor's palace for Krishna in eighth-century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press US. pp. 413–4. ISBN 978-0-19-536922-9.
  8. Jump up^ Samuel, Geoffrey (2008). The origins of yoga and tantra: Indic religions to the thirteenth century. Cambridge University Press. pp. 67–8. ISBN 978-0-521-69534-3.
  9. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Shashi, Shyam Singh, ed. (1998). Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh20 (1 ed.). Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. pp. 517–8. ISBN 978-81-7041-859-7.
  10. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Pargiter, F.E. (1972). Ancient Indian Historical Tradition. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 253–4.
  11. ^ Jump up to:a b c Shulman p.59
  12. Jump up^ Swami Venkatesananda (1988). The concise Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki. SUNY Press. pp. 397–9.
  13. ^ Jump up to:a b c d For Ramayana, Meyer pp. 374-5 or Shulman pp. 58-9
  14. Jump up^ Vanita, Kidwai p.18
  15. Jump up^ O'Flaherty p. 320
  16. Jump up^ Meyer p. 374
  17. Jump up^ Shulman pp. 61-2
  18. ^ Jump up to:a b Pattanaik p.47
  19. Jump up^ Pargiter, F.E. (1972). Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.255.
  20. Jump up^ Garg, Ganga Ram (1992). 1992, ed. Encyclopaedia of the Hindu world 1. Concept Publishing Company. p. 17. ISBN 978-81-7022-374-0.
  21. Jump up^ O'Flaherty p.305
  22. Jump up^ Singh, Narendra, ed. (2001). Encyclopaedia of Jainism. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. p. 1724.
  23. ^ Jump up to:a b c Dowson, John (2004) [1820-1881]. A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology, and religion, geography, history. Asian Educational Services. pp. 122–23. ISBN 978-81-206-1786-5.
  24. Jump up^ Misra, V.S. (2007). Ancient Indian Dynasties, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-413-8, p.57
    • For hymns, see Ṛgveda I.13.9, I.142.9, I.188.8, II.3.8, III.4.8, VII.2.8, X.70.8 and X.110.8
    • For mother of Pururavas, Ṛgveda X.95,18
  25. Jump up^ Eggeling, Julius (tr.) (1882). "Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa I.8.1". Satapatha Brahmana Part 1 (SBE12). at sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  26. Jump up^ Upadhyaya, G.P. (1967) Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam (Sanskrit text with Hindi translation), Vol.I, New Delhi: The Research Institute of Ancient Scientific Studies, pp.158-67- Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa I.8.1
  27. Jump up^ Heesterman, J. C. (1993). The Broken World of Sacrifice: An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p. 127. ISBN 0-226-32300-5.
  28. Jump up^ Misra, V.S. (2007). Ancient Indian Dynasties, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-413-8, p.59 - Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XI.5.1
Books

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ The Hare Krsnas - The Manus - Manus of the Present Universe
  2. Jump up^ Francis Hamilton (1819). Geneaolgies of the Hindus: extracted from their sacred writings; with an introduction and alphabetical index. "Printed for the author". p. 89.
  3. Jump up^ Alain Daniélou (11 February 2003). A Brief History of India. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-59477-794-3.
  4. Jump up^ David Dean Shulman (1980). Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-5692-3.
  5. Jump up^ DRISCOLL, Ian Driscoll; KURTZ, Matthew Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis, 2009.
  6. Jump up^ Sacred Texts. Section CLXXXVI
  7. ^ Jump up to:a b S'rîmad Bhâgavatam (Bhâgavata Purâna)Canto 8 Chapter 24 Text 12
  8. ^ Jump up to:a b The story of Vedic India as embodied ... - Google Books. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  9. Jump up^ Matsya Purana, Ch.I, 10-33
  10. Jump up^ Matsya Purana, Ch.II, 1-19
  11. Jump up^ The Matsya Purana
  12. Jump up^ Klaus K. Klostermaier (5 July 2007). A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition. SUNY Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7914-7082-4.
  13. Jump up^ Mahabharata Book 1:Adi Parva:Sambhava Parva:Section LXXV, p. 183.
  14. Jump up^ The Laws of Manu, translated by George Bühler.
  15. Jump up^ Parmeshwaranand, Swami Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Purāṇas, p. 638.
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