According to Hindu mythology, MANU was the first human created by Brahma. After creating the Devas, Asurs, pitras, etc. Brahma gave form to a man and a woman. The man was known as Swayambhu Manu and the woman was Shatrupa. Manu and Shatrupa become full-grown from the body of Brahma, without any biological parents.
MANU is the root-word for both the Sanskrit ‘Manushya’ and the English ‘Man’ that derives originally from the Germanic Mannus which originates from the same root as Manu.
Hindu manuscripts do not stop at one Manu but mention more than ten different Manus! Manu is NOT the name of a person but a title, and leads to many people in different periods just like Indra! The most well-known tale involving Manu tells of a vast flood that destroyed everything on earth.
One morning Manu was dipping his hands in a bowl of water when he saw a tiny fish there. The fish appealed to Manu that it had to be placed in a larger bowl of water to survive. In return, the fish agreed to save Manu from a great flood that was to come and bring away all living beings. Manu put the fish in a larger bowl, but the fish grew so fast that he had to put it to an even larger tank. The fish continued to grow and Manu decided to throw it into the sea. At that time, the fish told him that he should make a big boat to save himself from the flood. He also advised Manu to take into the ship two of each animal on the earth as well as seeds from every type of plant.
When the flood came, Manu used a rope to tie his ship to a longhorn growing out of the fish. The fish started swimming fast and pulling the ship through the rough waters, the fish came to the Himalaya mountains. Then fish left and told Manu to tie the ship to one of the mountains and wait until the waters subsided. Soon the water receded. Manu and his fellows settled down at the foothills of the Himalayas. All the trees were washed away in the flood. Manu threw the seeds he had brought. Once again the earth was reborn. According to the legend, fish appeared as the God Vishnu.
