Govindaya namah
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Rudra-sāvarṇi will be the twelfth Manu. Devavanta, Upadeva, Devaśreṣṭha, Vidooratha and others will be his sons. Ŗtadhāma will be the Indra. Harita, Sudharma and other troops will be the Devatas. Tapōmūrti, Tapasvi, Agnidṛk, Duti and others will be the seven great sages.
The Supreme Lord will incarnate as Swadāhama, the son of the holy couple Satyasahā and Sunṛta. He will protect the Manvantara.
The thirteenth Manvantara will be ruled by Deva-sāvarṇi, the conqueror of the senses. Chitrasena, Vicitra, Nayati and others will be his sons. In that Manvantara period, Sukarma and Sutrāma groups will be the Devatas. Divaspati will be the Indra. Nirmoka, Dhṛtimanta, Tattvadarśa and others will be the seven great sages.
The Supreme Lord will incarnate as Yogeśwara, the son of the holy couple Dēvahotra and Bṛhati. He will conquer the three worlds for the benefit of Divaspati, the Indra. The fourteenth Manu will be Indra-sāvarṇi. Uru, Gambhīra Buddhi, Bharata and others will be his sons. Pavitras and Cākṣuṣās will be the Devatas during this period. Śuci will be the Indra. Agni, Bāhu, Śuci, Śuddha, Māgadha and others will be the seven great sages.
The Supreme Lord will incarnate as Bṛhadbhanu, the son of the holy couple Satrāyaṇa and Vitāna. He will popularize Vedic austerities.
O Emperor! I have explained to you about 14 Manvantaras, which includes the past, present and future Manvantaras. 1000 Maha-yugas constitutes one Kalpa. In a Kalpa, which is a limb in the wheel of time, there will be totally fourteen Manvantaras”.
With this the thirteenth chapter of the eighth canto comes to an end.
Eighth Canto Chapter Fourteen
In this chapter, rule of a Manu during Manvantara ruled by him, is detailed.
Emperor Parikshit enquired from Maharishi Śuka, “O venerable sage! Please explain to me how the Manus of the different Manvantara periods, together with their sons get involved in the different duties.”
Maharishi Śuka replied, “In every Manvantara period, the Manu; his sons; the Devatas of that period along with their leader Indra; as well as the seven great sages will abide by the orders of the Supreme Lord. I have narrated to you about Yajna and other incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Influenced by these incarnations of the Supreme Lord, the Manu of the respective time period along with his sons rules this creation.
With their power of penance, the great Maharishis perceive in totality the Vedas which disappear at the end of the previous Maha-yuga.
Yato dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ- These Vedas sustain the rules and duties of righteousness from time immemorial.
After the Maharishis thus perceive the Vedas, then, in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Lord, the respective Manu of that time period, will with great alertness re-establish the Vedas such that righteousness (dharma) stands on all its four legs.
The sons of the Manus, will in accordance to the rules and eligibility, divide the creation, and then will rule it for the entire Manvantara period strictly based on the rules of righteousness.
The Maharishis who are well-versed with the activities pertaining to Yajña will perform these activities. The Devatas and the fore-fathers enjoy their share in these Yajna sacrifices. Indra will enjoy the wealth of all the three worlds obtained due to the grace of the Supreme Lord Srihari and will protect all the three worlds. He will ensure timely rainfall.
jñānaṁ cānuyugaṁ brūte hariḥ siddha-svarūpa-dhṛk ṛṣi-rūpa-dharaḥ karma yogaṁ yogeśa-rūpa-dhṛk
In every Yuga, Srihari will incarnate in the form of Kapila and other accomplished saints and will preach Supreme Knowledge. In the form of Maharishis such as Yajnavalka and others, He will preach about actions (karma). In the form of Dattatreya and other Yogeshwaras, He will impart the knowledge of Yoga.
Accepting separately the three attributes of Nature, in the form of Marici and other Prajapatis, the Lord will ensure the increase in population and will sustain creation. In the form of kings, he will punish thieves. In the form of time, He will take the living entities towards annihilation.
Living entities get deluded due to illusion which exists as name and form. They worship the Supreme Lord based on the teachings in the scriptures. However they are unable to understand His Supreme Essence.
Maharishi Vyasa and other exponents in Purāṇās declare that each Kalpa has fourteen Manvantaras. I have narrated in detail to you about the Manvantaras, which are sub-divisions within the Kalpa.
With this the fourteenth chapter of the eighth canto comes to an end.
Eighth Canto Chapter Fifteen
From this chapter, the story of the Lord’s incarnation as Vāmana begins. The demon-king Bali attacking heaven and obtaining victory is covered in this chapter.
Emperor Parikshit enquired from Maharishi Śuka, “O revered sage! Why did the Supreme Lord Srihari, who is the ruler of the entire creation, beg for three feet of land from the demon-king Bali? Why did he bind Bali even after successfully accomplishing the purpose of his visit? I am extremely eager to understand these facts. How was it possible for the Supreme Lord Srihari, who is the lord for all Yagnas and who is a form of completeness, to beg from Bali? How was it possible to bind Bali, who was blameless and innocent?”
Maharishi Śuka replied, “O Emperor! Indra not only defeated the demon-king Bali and took away all his wealth, but in addition he also killed him. Śukracharya, the descendant of Bhṛigu brought him back to life. Bali, who was of noble character, became a disciple of Śukracharya and, with full faith and devotion, whole-heartedly offered him services. These Brahmins, who were the descendants of Bhṛigu, possessed supreme supernatural powers. They were extremely pleased with Bali. Strictly abiding by the dictates of the scriptures, they performed abhisheka to Bali, who was desirous of conquering heaven.