Manivara Yaksha

Manivara — Yaksha Prince, Son of Rajatanabha and Bhadra, Father of the Guhyakas

Manivara · Maṇivara · Māṇivara

Manivara is a Yaksha recorded in the Brahmanda Purana and the Vayu Purana as one of two sons born to the Yaksha Rajatanabha and his wife Bhadra. Through his father's lineage he descends from the Yaksha race, and through his mother he carries the blood of the Daitya line of Hiranyakashipu — Bhadra being the daughter of Anuhlada, who was himself a son of the great Daitya king Hiranyakashipu. Manivara's principal significance in the Puranic tradition is genealogical and cosmological: through his marriage to Devajani — a daughter of Kratusthala, the Apsara — he fathered the race of Guhyakas, the semi-divine attendants of Kubera associated with the guardianship of hidden treasures. The Mahabharata's Vana Parva mentions a Yaksha named Maṇivara residing on the mountain of Mandara. He is additionally placed in Kailasa and on the Lohita hill in different Puranic passages. The Vayu Purana genealogy further records that his son Purnabhadra continued the line.

✦ The Name

The Sanskrit compound manivara is formed from mani (jewel, gem) and vara (excellent, best, boon, choice). The name therefore means "best of jewels," "jewel-excellent," or "he who is the finest among gems." It belongs to the same semantic register as his brother's name Manibhadra — both incorporating mani — and reflects the Yaksha tradition's association with precious stones, wealth, and hidden treasure.

✦ Lineage

• Paternal great-grandfather: Vasuruci — a Yaksha, recorded in the Vayu Purana's genealogy of the Yaksha lineages as the progenitor of Rajatanabha's line.
• Paternal great-grandmother: Kratusthala (also rendered Kratusthali or Pancachuda) — an Apsara, wife of Vasuruci; the Brahmanda Purana's Yaksha genealogy (III.7.100) identifies her as the mother of Rajatanabha. A daughter of Kratusthala named Devajani later became Manivara's own wife, making Manivara's maternal grandmother-in-law the same figure as his paternal great-grandmother — a feature of the compact genealogical structure common to Yaksha lineages in these texts.
• Father: Rajatanabha — a Yaksha, son of Vasuruci and Kratusthala; his name means "silver-navelled" or "he of the silver navel." He is the Yaksha who was given Bhadra, the Daitya princess, in marriage, forming the genealogical link between the Daitya race and this branch of the Yaksha lineage. The Atharvaveda's tradition, referenced in later commentarial literature, associates a Rajatanabha with the retinue of Kubera.
• Mother: Bhadra — a Daitya princess, daughter of Anuhlada (the second son of Hiranyakashipu), given in marriage to Rajatanabha the Yaksha; recorded in the Vayu Purana's genealogical section as the wife of Rajatanabha and mother of Manivara and Manibhadra. Through Bhadra, Manivara's Daitya ancestry descends from Hiranyakashipu, Kashyapa, and Diti.
• Brother: Manibhadra — the second son of Rajatanabha and Bhadra; a major Yaksha figure who became a commander-in-chief of the Yaksha host, a tutelary deity of travellers and merchants, and a figure mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Valmiki Ramayana, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana, among other texts.
• Wife: Devajani (also given as Devajananī in some texts) — named in the Brahmanda Purana (III.7.127–131) as the wife of Manivara; a daughter of Kratusthala the Apsara — the same Apsara who was Manivara's own paternal great-grandmother through his father Rajatanabha.
• Sons: A class of Yaksha beings collectively designated the Guhyakas, born to Manivara and Devajani according to the Brahmanda Purana (III.7.127–131). The Guhyakas are a class of supernatural beings closely associated with Kubera, the lord of wealth and guardian of the northern quarter, functioning as his attendants and as custodians of hidden treasures. Their name derives from the root meaning "concealed" or "hidden," reflecting their role as guardians of unseen wealth.
• Son (named): Purnabhadra — recorded in the Vayu Purana's Yaksha genealogy as the son born of Manivara and Devajani, continuing the lineage into the next generation.

✦ Abode and Associations

The Wisdomlib Purana Index, drawing on the Brahmanda Purana and the Vayu Purana, places Manivara as a Yaksha king in Kailasa and as a resident of the Lohita hill. The Mahabharata's Vana Parva (Chapter 139, verse 5) mentions a Yaksha named Maṇivara dwelling on the mountain of Mandara. Whether these references designate the same Manivara or different Yakshas of the same name cannot be established with certainty from the texts, though the Purana Index treats them as the same figure. Kailasa, the Lohita hill, and Mandara are all sacred geography in the Puranic tradition associated with the northern and northeastern realms where Yakshas, Gandharvas, and other semi-divine beings are said to dwell under the broad sovereignty of Kubera.

✦ Textual Variants and Inconsistencies

The Wisdomlib Purana Index entry on Manivara presents a minor internal variant: in one formulation it records him as a son of Rajatanabha through his wife Manivarā — a name distinct from Bhadra — while in another formulation it records him as a son of Bhadra (the Vayu Purana tradition). The entry on Manibhadra in the same index consistently assigns the mother's name as Bhadra. The reference to "Manivarā" as the mother in one sub-entry appears to reflect either a manuscript variant in the Brahmanda Purana or a confusion between mother and son introduced during compilation of the index. The Vayu Purana genealogical tradition, which gives Bhadra as the mother, is treated here as the primary authority given its consistency with the adjacent Brahmanda Purana reference and the broader genealogical record.

✦ References

• Primary Sources
• Brahmanda Purana, III.7.100 and III.7.127–131: The primary source for Manivara's parentage as a son of Rajatanabha, his marriage to Devajani (daughter of Kratusthala), and his fathering of the Guhyaka class of Yakshas.
• Vayu Purana, 50.25 and related Yaksha genealogy sections: The parallel source placing Manivara as a son of Rajatanabha and Bhadra, and recording his son Purnabhadra; the source for the name Bhadra as the mother.
• Mahabharata, Vana Parva, Chapter 139 (verse 5): Names a Yaksha Maṇivara as dwelling on the mountain of Mandara.
• Secondary Sources
• Wisdomlib.org, "Manivara" entry: Compiles the Purana Index references from the Brahmanda Purana (III.7.127–131) and records Manivara's wife as Devajani, his sons as the Guhyakas, and his dwelling places as Kailasa and the Lohita hill.
• Wisdomlib.org, "Manibhadra" entry: Confirms Bhadra (Vayu Purana) as the mother of Manivara and Manibhadra, corroborating the parentage framework used in this profile.
• Culturalheritageofbharat.blogspot.com, "Yaksha and Yakshini" (drawing on Vayu Purana): Provides the genealogical sequence Vasuruci–Kratusthala–Rajatanabha–Bhadra–Manivara and Manibhadra, and records Purnabhadra as Manivara's son through Devajani.