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Uttama — Son of Priyavrata and Surupa, Third Manu
Uttama · Uttama Manu · Trtiya Manu
Uttama is the eldest of the three sons born of Priyavrata through his second wife Surupa, named in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 5, Chapter 1. He became the third Manu — the third of the fourteen Manvantaradhipatis who preside over the successive cosmic epochs of a Kalpa or day of Brahma — and as such governed the created world during the third Manvantara. The Bhagavata Purana, Canto 8, Chapter 1 records that during Uttama's Manvantara, his sons included Pavana, Srinjaya, and Yajnahotra; the seven sages of that epoch were the sons of Vasishtha headed by Pramada; the gods of that epoch were the Satyas, Devashrutas, and Bhadras; and Satyajit served as Indra. The Lord appeared in that epoch as Satyasena, born from the womb of Sunrita wife of Dharma, and destroyed the Yakshas and Rakshasas who were fighting Satyajit. His name Uttama means the highest, the best, or the supreme — a designation appropriate to one who held the governing office of Manu over a cosmic age.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Priyavrata — eldest son of Svayambhuva Manu.
- Mother: Surupa — second wife of Priyavrata, daughter of Vishvakarma Prajapati and sister of Barhishmati; her identification as mother of the three Manu sons follows the Bhagavata Purana's assignment of these sons to a second unnamed wife, whom the Devi Bhagavata Purana and Puranic Encyclopaedia identify as Surupa.
- Brothers: Tamasa — the fourth Manu; and Raivata — the fifth Manu.
- Sons: Pavana, Srinjaya, and Yajnahotra, named in the Bhagavata Purana Canto 8 as sons of Uttama Manu.
✦ References
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 5, Chapter 1, verse 28: Names Uttama among the three sons of Priyavrata by his second wife, all of whom became Manvantaradhipatis.
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 8, Chapter 1: Details of Uttama's Manvantara including his sons, the seven sages, the gods, Indra, and the avatar of Vishnu of that epoch.
- Vettam Mani, Puranic Encyclopaedia (1975): Records Uttama as the third Manu and son of Priyavrata.