*SKANDHA VIII. CHAP. 14.*
Said Raja Parikshit: -- Tell me, O Rishi, what are the respective duties
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 Manvantara.
(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. The administration of each Manvantara is in the hands of a
separate set of kings and ministers. Vishnu incarnates in each
Manvantara, as the king of all who serve as administrative officers of
that Manvantara and he is as such called the special Avatara for that
Manvantara. The divine kings, the Rishis, the Devas, all work under His
direction. He gives the law that is to be administered. He shews the
path, which evolution is to take in any particular Manvantara.)
Yajna and others are Avataras of Purusha. Guided by them, Manu and
others lead the course of the universe.
_Rishis_: -- At the end of every four Yugas, the Srutis become devoured
by time. (The human races have a life period timed to the four Yugas.
They have their infancy, as it were, in Satya Yuga, and they have to be
guided by wise sayings, which form the Srutis of those races. The Srutis
become better understood with the growth of racial intelligence and
other texts take the place of old ones. When the races do not require
the help of the earlier texts, those texts become lost in time. When the
races begin another life cycle, they require again the help of
teachings, which become revealed to the Rishis. The Rishis then give
those teachings to the races.) The Rishis find out the Srutis, by means
of Tapas. The eternal Dharma proceeds from the Srutis. (People know
their duties from the scriptures.)
_Manus_. -- The Manus then take up the Dharma, and each in his own time
devotedly promulgates it on the earth.
_Manu's sons_. -- The sons of Manu preserve the Dharma, generation after
generation, till the end of the Manvantara.
_Devas and Indra_. -- Indra, with the Devas that participate in
sacrificial offerings, protects the three Lokas and gives rains.
(Besides this general administration, there are other ways also of
managing the affairs of the universe and these are mentioned
incidentally in the following slokas. _Sridhara_.)
Hari appears as the Siddhas (Sanaka and others) and expounds divine
wisdom (Jnana) in every Yuga. He appears as Rishis (Yajnavalkya and
others) and expounds Karma. As Lords of Yoga (Dattatreya and others), He
expounds Yoga.