Manvantara


A manvantara, in Hindu cosmology, is a cyclic period of time identifying the duration, reign, or age of a Manu, the progenitor of mankind. In each manvantara, seven Rishis, certain deities, an Indra, a Manu, and kings are created and perish. Each manvantara is distinguished by the Manu who rules/reigns over it, of which we are currently in the seventh manvantara of fourteen, which is ruled by Vaivasvata Manu.

Etymology

Manvantara, sometimes spelled manwantara or manuantara, is a compound of manu and antara, creating manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning "the duration of a Manu", or his lifespan, with synonym meanings of "the interval, reign, period, or age of a Manu".
Sandhya or sandhi, sometimes with a compound of kala, have been used to represent "the juncture before or after a manvantara", a period of universal deluge :
  • manvantara sandhya
  • manvantara sandhi
  • sandhya kala when describing a manvantara
  • sandhi kala when describing a ''manvantara''

    Duration and structure

Each manvantara lasts for 306,720,000 years and repeats seventy-one Yuga Cycles. In a kalpa, which lasts for 4.32 billion years, there are a total of fourteen manvantaras, where each is followed by and the first preceded by a manvantara-sandhya with each sandhya lasting for 1,728,000 years. During each manvantara-sandhya, the earth is submerged in water.
Each kalpa has 14 manvantaras and 15 manvantara-sandhyas in the following order:
  • 1st manvantara-sandhya
  • 1st manvantara
  • 2nd manvantara-sandhya
  • 2nd manvantara
  • ...
  • 14th manvantara-sandhya
  • 14th manvantara
  • 15th manvantara-sandhya
Manusmriti, Ch. 1:
Surya Siddhanta, Ch. 1:
Vishnu Purana, Part 1, Ch. 3:

Manus

In the current kalpa, these fourteen Manus reign in succession: