Vedas The hymns of the
Rigveda extol Manyu as the "slayer of foes", "self-existent", "wielder of the thunder", and "much-invoked". Manyu is identified with deities such as
Indra,
Varuna, and
Agni. These hymns urge Manyu to grant treasure and wealth, strength in battles, and overwhelm the enemy with terror. The
Atharvaveda also mentions the deity in a hymn dedicated to
Kama.
Brahma Purana The
Brahma Purana describes the origin of Manyu. It states that a terrible war was once waged between the
devas and the
asuras, in which the former were defeated. The devas are stated to have travelled to the Gautamī river valley, where they performed a penance to propitiate
Shiva. The destroyer deity is said to have produced Manyu from his third eye, and presented him to the devas. In the subsequent battle that followed, Manyu's assistance allowed the devas to gain victory.
Bhagavata Purana Shiva is referred to as Manyu in the
Bhagavata Purana.
Associations Manyu is also described to be one of the eleven
Rudras. Some philosophers like
Madhavacharya have posited that Manyu is merely an epithet of
Narasimha, an avatar of
Vishnu. ==References==