Manu The First Man

It is said, that Manu the first man and his wife Satrupa started the evolution of mankind. They were a pious couple who have been documented and sung about in the Vedas. One of their sons was Rajah Uttanpad who in turn had a son who was the popular Haribhakta Dhruv. Manu's younger son was Priyavrat whose praises have also been sung in the Vedas.

Manu's daughter Devhootee was married to Kardam Muni. She carried in her womb the Supreme being, the all forgiving God Kapil who was a philosopher and the originator of the science of mathematics. Swayambhuv ( Manuji) ruled for a long period and followed the word of God. A time came, when he realized that he was getting old, and leading his life in vain, without devoting anytime to God.

Then, one day he stepped down, gave his kingdom to his son, and along with his wife left for the woods to lead a life of abstinence.

Naimisharan is one of the most holy Teerth (pilgrimage) place, where sages who renounce the world go to get siddhi (godly powers) and salvation. Bands of Munis and seekers of God come from far and wide to Naimisharan. The Rajah and Rani looked like the embodiment of knowledge and devotion as they made their way there. ( We were fortunate enough to visit Naimisharan in the Spring of 2003. I extend our profound gratitude to Harsh Narain, to take Dad, Ruchi, Rakesh Mama and me there. People say that it is not an easy pilgrimage to go to . Usually, some impediment or another makes it impossible to reach there. With God's grace our trip went without any glitches, we are truly blessed. We hope to go back again, this time along with Suni and Arjun)

After many days of walking Manu and Satrupa came to the banks of the river Gomti. Seeing their regal look, the sages and munis living nearby came to meet with them. The long journey had made them very feeble. Now they lived a simple life here and listened to the stories of the Puranas. The king and queen started reciting the Duadshaakshar mantra (Om Namo Bhagwhatey Vasudevaya) and slowly their devotion started growing for Bhagwan Vasudev.

It is not easy to give up a life of luxury and go to the woods in search of God. What we learn from Manu however, is that there is a time for everything and we must not hang on to glory for the sake of it. Just like Manu, we must learn the art of detachment and worry about the salvation of our souls. Surely then we will have Ram Rajya! JAI HO!