Word

Priyavrata

Sanskrit

प्रियव्रत

IAST

priyavrata

In General

The eldest son of Svayambhuva Manu. Uttanapada is his brother and Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti his sisters. Priyavrata married Barhismati daughter ofKardamaprajapati. He got of her two daughters named Samrat and Kuksi and ten sons named Agnidhra, Agnibahu, Vapusman, Dyutiman, Medhas, Medhatithi, Bhavya, Savana, Putra and Jyotisman. Of these Jyotisman was really possessing jyotis (brilliance). All the sons, Medhas, Agnibahu and Putra, were interested in the practice of yoga and were aware ascetics.

Purana

Priyavrata and his children ruled the country for a period of eleven arbudas, that is a hundred million years. So much is the power of his mind, body and brilliance that he did not show any sign of weakness in his old age. One day he observed the sun travelling in the day light, and began to think. "When the sun is walking on one side of the earth, the other side must naturally be dark. Will it happen so in our time? In all places at all times it should be bright and there should be no darkness."

Thinking thus he got into a chariot which is as bright as the sun and travelled round the earth seven times. Then night looked as bright as sun; sun looked dull during day because of the chariot. During these travels the wheels of the chariot made seven furrows on the earth. These furrows became the seven seas and the beds between the furrows became seven islands

Priyavrata distributed seven islands to seven of his sons as follows : Jambudvipa to Agnidhra ; Plaksadvlpa to Medhatithi; Salmalldvipa to Vapusman; Kusadvlpa to Jyotisman; Krauncadvipa to Dyutiman ; Sakadvipa to Bhavya ; and Puskaradvipa to Savana.