> Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 8
> Sanskrit, word-for-word and original translation of Swami Prabhupâda
> (for the purports one will have to consult the books under the copyright of the BBT)

> Canto 8: 'Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations'

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> Chapter Fourteen: The System of Universal Management

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> TEXT 1

> srî-râjovâca

> manvantaresu bhagavan

> yathâ manv-âdayas tv ime

> yasmin karmani ye yena

> niyuktâs tad vadasva me

> srî-râjâ uvâca--King Parîksit said; manvantaresu--in the reign of each Manu; bhagavan--O great sage; yathâ--as; manu-âdayah--the Manus and others; tu--but; ime--these; yasmin--in which; karmani--activities; ye--which persons; yena--by whom; niyuktâh--appointed; tat--that; vadasva--kindly describe; me--to me.

> TRANSLATION

> Maharaja Pariksit inquired: O most opulent Sukadeva Gosvami, please explain to me how Manu and the others in each manvantara are engaged in their respective duties, and by whose order they are so engaged.

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> TEXT 2

> srî-rsir uvâca

> manavo manu-putrâs ca

> munayas ca mahî-pate

> indrâh sura-ganâs caiva

> sarve purusa-sâsanâh

> srî-rsih uvâca--Srî Sukadeva Gosvâmî said; manavah--all the Manus; manu-putrah--all the sons of Manu; ca--and; munayah--all the great sages; ca--and; mahî-pate--O King; indrâh--all the Indras; sura-ganâh--the demigods; ca--and; eva--certainly; sarve--all of them; purusa-sâsanâh--under the rule of the Supreme person.

> TRANSLATION

> Sukadeva Gosvami said: The Manus, the sons of Manu, the great sages, the Indras and all the demigods, O King, are appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His various incarnations such as Yajna.

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> TEXT 3

> yajnâdayo yâh kathitâh

> paurusyas tanavo nrpa

> manv-âdayo jagad-yâtrâm

> nayanty âbhih pracoditâh

> yajna-âdayah--the Lord's incarnation known as Yajna and others; yâh--who; kathitâh--already spoken of; paurusyah--of the Supreme Person; tanavah--incarnations; nrpa--O King; manu-âdayah--the Manus and others; jagat-yâtrâm--universal affairs; nayanti--conduct; âbhih--by the incarnations; pracoditâh--being inspired.

> TRANSLATION

> O King, I have already described to you various incarnations of the Lord, such as Yajna. The Manus and others are chosen by these incarnations, under whose direction they conduct the universal affairs.

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> TEXT 4

> catur-yugânte kâlena

> grastân chruti-ganân yathâ

> tapasâ rsayo 'pasyan

> yato dharmah sanâtanah

> catuh-yuga-ante--at the end of every four yugas (Satya, Dvâpara, Tretâ and Kali); kâlena--in due course of time; grastân--lost; sruti-ganân--the Vedic instruction; yathâ--as; tapasâ--by austerity; rsayah--great saintly persons; apasyan--by seeing misuse; yatah--wherefrom; dharmah--occupational duties; sanâtanah--eternal.

> TRANSLATION

> At the end of every four yugas, the great saintly persons, upon seeing that the eternal occupational duties of mankind have been misused, reestablish the principles of religion.

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> TEXT 5

> tato dharmam catuspâdam

> manavo harinoditâh

> yuktâh sancârayanty addhâ

> sve sve kâle mahîm nrpa

> tatah--thereafter (at the end of Kali-yuga); dharmam--the religious principle; catuh-pâdam--in four parts; manavah--all the Manus; harinâ--by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uditâh--being instructed; yuktâh--being engaged; sancârayanti--reestablish; addhâ--directly; sve sve--in their own; kâle--time; mahîm--within this world; nrpa--O King.

> TRANSLATION

> Thereafter, O King, the Manus, being fully engaged according to the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, directly reestablish the principles of occupational duty in its full four parts.

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> TEXT 6

> pâlayanti prajâ-pâlâ

> yâvad antam vibhâgasah

> yajna-bhâga-bhujo devâ

> ye ca tatrânvitâs ca taih

> pâlayanti--execute the order; prajâ-pâlâh--the rulers of the world, namely the sons and grandsons of Manu; yâvat antam--unto the end of Manu's reign; vibhâgasah--in divisions; yajna-bhâga-bhujah--the enjoyers of the result of yajnas; devâh--the demigods; ye--others; ca--also; tatra anvitâh--engaged in that business; ca--also; taih--by them.

> TRANSLATION

> To enjoy the results of sacrifices [yajnas], the rulers of the world, namely the sons and grandsons of Manu, discharge the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until the end of Manu's reign. The demigods also share the results of these sacrifices.

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> TEXT 7

> indro bhagavatâ dattâm

> trailokya-sriyam ûrjitâm

> bhunjânah pâti lokâms trîn

> kâmam loke pravarsati

> indrah--the King of heaven; bhagavatâ--by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dattâm--given; trailokya--of the three worlds; sriyam ûrjitâm--the great opulences; bhunjânah--enjoying; pâti--maintains; lokân--all the planets; trîn--within the three worlds; kâmam--as much as necessary; loke--within the world; pravarsati--pours rain.

> TRANSLATION

> Indra, King of heaven, receiving benedictions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus enjoying highly developed opulences, maintains the living entities all over the three worlds by pouring sufficient rain on all the planets.

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> TEXT 8

> jnânam cânuyugam brûte

> harih siddha-svarûpa-dhrk

> rsi-rûpa-dharah karma

> yogam yogesa-rûpa-dhrk

> jnânam--transcendental knowledge; ca--and; anuyugam--according to the age; brûte--explains; harih--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; siddha-svarûpa-dhrk--assuming the form of liberated persons like Sanaka and Sanâtana; rsi-rûpa-dharah--assuming the form of great saintly persons like Yâjnavalkya; karma--karma; yogam--the mystic yoga system; yoga-îsa-rûpa-dhrk--by assuming the form of a great yogî like Dattâtreya.

> TRANSLATION

> In every yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, assumes the form of Siddhas such as Sanaka to preach transcendental knowledge, He assumes the form of great saintly persons such as Yajnavalkya to teach the way of karma, and He assumes the form of great yogis such as Dattatreya to teach the system of mystic yoga.

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> TEXT 9

> sargam prajesa-rûpena

> dasyûn hanyât svarâd-vapuh

> kâla-rûpena sarvesâm

> abhâvâya prthag gunah

> sargam--creation of progeny; prajâ-îsa-rûpena--in the form of the Prajâpati Marîci and others; dasyûn--thieves and rogues; hanyât--kills; sva-rât-vapuh--in the form of the king; kâla-rûpena--in the form of time; sarvesâm--of everything; abhâvâya--for the annihilation; prthak--different; gunah--possessing qualities.

> TRANSLATION

> In the form of Prajapati Marici, the Supreme Personality of Godhead creates progeny; becoming the king, He kills the thieves and rogues; and in the form of time, He annihilates everything. All the different qualities of material existence should be understood to be qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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> TEXT 10

> stûyamâno janair ebhir

> mâyayâ nâma-rûpayâ

> vimohitâtmabhir nânâ-

> darsanair na ca drsyate

> stûyamânah--being sought; janaih--by people in general; ebhih--by all of them; mâyayâ--under the influence of mâyâ; nâma-rûpayâ--possessing different names and forms; vimohita--bewildered; âtmabhih--by illusion; nânâ--various; darsanaih--by philosophical approaches; na--not; ca--and; drsyate--the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be found.

> TRANSLATION

> People in general are bewildered by the illusory energy, and therefore they try to find the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through various types of research and philosophical speculation. Nonetheless, they are unable to see the Supreme Lord.

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> TEXT 11

> etat kalpa-vikalpasya

> pramânam parikîrtitam

> yatra manvantarâny âhus

> caturdasa purâvidah

> etat--all these; kalpa--in one day of Lord Brahmâ; vikalpasya--of the changes in a kalpa, such as the change of Manus; pramânam--evidences; parikîrtitam--described (by me); yatra--wherein; manvantarâni--periods of Manu; âhuh--said; caturdasa--fourteen; purâ-vidah--learned scholars.

> TRANSLATION

> In one kalpa, or one day of Brahma, there take place the many changes called vikalpas. O King, all of these have been previously described to you by me. Learned scholars who know the past, present and future have ascertained that in one day of Brahma there are fourteen Manus.

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