Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Mankanaka included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Maṅkaṇaka
(MAṄKAṆA). A sage
General information.
He was born to Vāyubhagavān of his wife Sukanyakā. (Śǰ첹. 58, Chapter 38, Śⲹ Parva).
峾Բ ʳܰṇa, 38th Chapter states that Maṅkaṇa was one of the spiritual sons of Kaśyapaprajāpati.
Juice of potherb flows from finger.
The sage was living in Saptasārasvatatīrtha and one day by accident his thumb was cut off from his hand by the sharp edge of ś grass. But instead of blood, the juice of potherb began to flow from the thumb and the sage, overjoyed at this strange phenomenon, started dancing. Along with Maṅkaṇa the earth and the sky also started dancing and the dancing showed no signs of stopping. Ś then appeared before Maṅkaṇa and asked him the cause of his non-stop dancing. Ś was in disguise and Maṅkaṇa did not recognise the new-comer and the sage told him about the strange phenomenon. As they were talking Ś touched the thumb of the sage with his little finger and lo! the flow from the finger changed from pot-herb juice to sugar-candy juice. 峾Բ ʳܰṇa states that it was ashes which flowed from the finger. The hermit was ashamed. He understood that the guest was Ś and he fell at his feet. Ś blessed the hermit and granted him boons.
Maṅkaṇa falls in love with ī Devī.
One day īdevī came to the place of his residence in the guise of a very attractive woman. Maṅkaṇa had seminal emission on seeing her and the semen fell on the surface of the water. The sage stored the water with semen in a pot and soon seven sons were born from it. They all became sages named ܱ, Vāyubala, Vāyuhā, Vāyumaṇḍala, Vāyujvāla, Vāyuretas and Vāyucakra. (Chapter 83, Vana Parva and Chapter 38, Śⲹ Parva).
Birth of Kadalīgarbhā.
Besides the seven sons Maṅkaṇa got a daughter named Kadalīgarbhā. ѱԲ was her mother. (See under Kadalīgarbhā).
Maṅkaṇa diverts the river ī.
It was sage Maṅkaṇa who invoked the river ī and made it flow through ܰܰṣeٰ. Chapter 38, 峾Բ ʳܰṇa).