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Were they to be tempted away by the senses, which had done their work of training, past all chance of return? Vishnu, the God of human evolution, willed otherwise. He caused a re-adjustment of the Daivic and Asuric forces, and the Devas by His help got the better of the Asuras. This is the churning of the Ocean of Milk. It averted a crisis and is therefore a great event in the history of the Universe. The Asura element could not be altogether wiped away. For the Deva or spiritual nature evolves out of Asura or selfish and material nature. Unselfishness grows out of selfishness, spirituality rises out of materiality. In the act of churning, the Devas could not do without the Asuras. Churning itself, implies the action and reaction of two contending forces. "Make peace with them, as long as you are not strong your- selves." The compromise of the Devas with the Asuras is the devel- opment of spiritual faculties out of the personal element in man. It is the grafting of higher Manas on lower Manas. The element of mind is in the Asuras as well as in the Devas. But the Asuric or lower mind thinks of self as separate from other selves. The Daivic or higher mind breaks through the trammels of personality and finds oneness all round. To use a better expression, we shall say higher self and lower self, rather than self and non-self. Jivas are carried on in their course of life evolution by the force of past tendencies, and nature unaided produces the personal man. But when the past tendencies are exhausted, there is nothing to keep 190 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana on the Jivas in their course of evolution. Ktrma comes to the help of humanity at this stage. He gives a new power to men, the power of discrimination. With this power men become free agents, and they become responsible for their ac- tions. They then generate new Karma for themselves, which takes them through infinite births and becomes a most potent factor in their future evolution. The three Purushas have three Oceans as their correspondences. The first ocean (Karana) gives the materials of the Jiva body. The Sec- ond ocean (Garbhoda), gives the germs of all Jivas. The third (Kshira) is the ocean of Jiva evolution. This ocean is churned for the spiritual evolution of Jivas, and it yields all that is necessary for that evolution. Vishnu himself appears as Kirma and becomes the sustaining force of that evolution. It is a Kalpic revolution. Vastki sustains the earth and its inhabi- tants for one Kalpic period. The thousand hoods represent the thou- sand Maha yugas of every Kalpa. The Asuras held the mouth end of the serpent king and the Devas held the tail end. And the Devas acted wisely. For as the Kalpa waned, they got the supremacy. The tortoise thrusts out its limbs and draws them in. Man is drawn outside by his senses during material descent and he is drawn in by his spiritual ascent. It is by the power of discrimination when fully developed that a man returns to his higher nature. Sri or Lakshmi is the divine energy of Vishnu. She is the Energy of preservation, of evolution and progress She works out all that is good, all that is beautiful, and all that is powerful in this Universe. The possibilities of purely material development or of Nature’s own evolution, are limited, and they are worked out in time. Then there is a void. There was this void in our universe and Triloki become deprived of Sri. This was the curse of Durvasas, an Avatara of Siva. The Churning took place as a remedy for this evil. Fresh forces had to be brought into requisition, fresh elements that could secure the spiritual evolution of the universe. Lakshmi herself reappeared in a most enchanting form, as the energy of a new evolution, the very best that man was capable of. The necessaries of this evolution also appeared and became powers in the hands of those that had to take part in the spiritual evolution of the universe. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 191 All evolution is preceded by dissolution. Unless we give up the evil element in us, we can not acquire the good. The evil has to be destroyed and the Lord of destruction, in his infinite compassion, ac- cepted this poison for himself, to do away with the evils of the Uni- verse. The Poison only opens the door for Amrita, the spiritual nectar. The famous Purusha Sukta says:—"He placed Amrita or eternal bliss in the higher three Lokas." The Bhagavata renders this famous saying into the eighteenth sloka of the 6th. chapter of the Second Skandha. Commenting on this sloka, Sridhara says, bliss in our Triloki is only transitory and the dwellers of Mahar Loka have also to leave their abode for the higher Jana Loka, when they are oppressed by the fire of Kalpic dissolution. Amrita was secured to the higher Lokas, as there is no selfishness in them. (III. 10-9.) Could the Asuras, the gods of selfishness, aspire to have life immortal and unlimited bliss. Vishnu decided otherwise. The way was thus prepared for the Vaivasvata Manvantara, when men learned to discern between right and wrong. THE SEVENTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. Sraddha Deva son of Vivasvat or Sirya is the seventh Manu. He is reigning at present. Ikshvaku, Nabhaga, Dhrishta, Saryati, Nar- ishyanta, Nabhaga, Dishta, Tarusha, Prishadhra, and Vasumat are his ten sons. The Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Visvadevas, the Maruts, the Asvini-kumaras and the Ribhus are the Devas. Purandara is their Indra. Kasyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Visvamitra, Goutama, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja are the seven Rishis. The Avatara of this Manvantara is Vamana, the youngest son of Aditi by Kasyapa. (The Purana will revert to this Manvantara after giving a general account of the succeeding Manvantaras). 192 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana THE EIGHTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. Savarni is the son of Vivasvat by his wife Chaya. He shall be the eighth Manu—Nirmoka, Virajaska (without Rajas) and others shall be his sons. Sutapas, Viraja (without Rajas) and Amrita Prabha shall be the Devas. Bali, son of Virochana, shall be the Indra. Galava, Diptiman, Parasurama, Asvatthama, Kripa, Rishya Sringa and Vyasa shall be the seven Rishis. Sarvabhouma, son of Devaguhya by Sarasvati, shall be the Avatara. He shall wrest the kingdom of Svarga Loka from Purandara and make it over to Bali. (The eighth Manvantara is the Second half of the Fourth Round and should be the spiritual half according to Theosophical ideas. But we find the Asura King Bali, who was removed from the kingdom of Triloki in the Vaivasvat Manvantara, restored to the kingdom of Svarga). Amongst the Rishis we find Parasurama who fought with Rama and Asvatthama and Kripa who ranged themselves against the Pan- dava brothers in the battle of Kurukshetra. All this shews that spirituality was developed out of materiality. The sons of Manu are Nirmoka and Virajaska. Moka is the cast off skin of an animal and may well represent the sthtila body. Nirmoka is one without Moka. Virajaska is without Rajas. So the course of evolution shews a tendency in the first place to cast off the sthila body and to overcome the Rajas. THE NINTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. The ninth Manu is Daksha Savarni. He is the son of Varuna Bhi- taketu, Diptaketu and others shall be his sons. Para, Marichi garbha and others shall be the Devas and Adbhitta their Indra. Dyu timat and others shall be the Rishis. Rishabha, son of Ayushmat by AmbudhAr§, shall be the Avatara. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 193 THE TENTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. Brahma Savarni is the tenth Manu. He is the son of Upasloka. Bhirishena and others shall be his sons. Havishmat, Sukrita, Satya, Jaya, Murti and others shall be the Rishis; Suvasana, Aviruddha and others shall be the Devas and Sambhu their Indra. Vishvaksena, son of Visvasrij by Vistichi, shall be the Avatara. THE ELEVENTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13 Dharma Savarni is the eleventh Manu. Satya-Dharma and oth- ers shall be his ten sons. Vihangama, Kalagama, Nirvana-ruchi and others shall be the Devas, Vaidhrita their king, and Aruna and oth- ers the Rishis. Dharma-Setu, son of Aryaka by Vaidhrita shall be the Avatara. THE TWELFTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. Rudra-Savarni is the twelfth Manu. Devavat, Upadeva, Devas- restha and others shall be his sons (men shall be evolved into Devas In this Manvantara). Harita and others shall be the Devas, Ritadhaman their Indra. Tapomirti, Tapasvin, Agnidhraka and others the Rishis; Svadhaman, son of Satya-sahas by Sinrita, shall be the Avatara. THE THIRTEENTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. Deva Savarni is the thirteenth Manu. Chitra Sena, Vichitra and others shall he his sons, Sukarma and Sutrama the Devas, Divaspati their Indra and Nirmoka, Tatvadarsa, and others the Rishis. Yogesvara, son of Devahotra by Vrihati, shall be the Avatara. THE FOURTEENTH MANVANTARA. SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 13. 194 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana Indra Savarni is the fourteenth Manu. Uru, Gambhira, Vradhna and others shall be his sons. Pavitra and Chakshusha the Devas, Suchi their Indra, Agni, Vahu, Suchi, Suddha Magadha and others the Rishis. Brihat-bhanu, son of Satrayana by Vitana, shall be the Avatara (i.e. the great sun shall absorb everything.) THE ADMINISTRATION OF A MANVANTARA SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 14. Said Raja Parikshit:—Tell me, O Rishi, what are the respective du- ties of Manu and others in the Manvantaras. Suka replied:—The Avatara of each Manvantara guides the Manu, the sons of Manu, the Rishis, the Indra and the Devas of that Man- vantara. (Each Manvantara has its own place in the history of the Kalpa, and the general evolution has to be worked out in the way best adapted to that Manvantara.