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Interactive radial family tree showing Brahma at the centre with 209 descendants branching outward across 10 generations of Hindu cosmology
Scriptural Exegesis

Brahma Vanshavali -- The Complete Hindu Family Tree

ब्रह्मा वंशावली -- सम्पूर्ण हिन्दू वंश वृक्ष

10 min read 2026-04-28
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When you read the Mahabharata or the Ramayana for the first time, the cast feels infinite. Hundreds of named warriors. Dozens of rishis. Devas and asuras whose names blur after the first chapter. Most readers give up trying to keep track and just follow the lead characters. The result is a perpetual feeling of catching only fragments of a story too large to hold.

The Vanshavali tree fixes that. It is the master genealogy of Hindu civilisation, drawn directly from the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Mahabharata's Adi Parva. Two hundred and nine named beings. Ten generations. One single ancestor at the root -- Brahma, sitting on the lotus that grew from Vishnu's navel.

Every character you have heard of is in this tree. Krishna is here, with his grandfather Yadu and his great-great-grandson Vajra. Rama is here, with his ancestor Ikshvaku and his sons Lava and Kusha. Ravana is here, in the Pulastya branch with his half-brother Kubera. The Pandavas are here, with Vyasa as their biological great-grandfather. Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada, and Bali are here, sharing a father with Indra by way of two sister-wives. The Sanatkumaras are here, eternally five years old. Even your gotra is here, traced back to one of the seven or eight founding rishis whose names you say in every Sankalp.

The tree below is the visualisation that ships inside the Eternal Raga app. Tap any node to expand its descendants. Pinch or scroll to zoom. Drag to pan. Switch between English and Hindi labels using the language toggle. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar branch, follow the parent connections back to the root. You will reach Brahma in fewer than ten taps every single time.

Brahma Vanshavali

209 named beings · 10 generations

— family tree: first three generations —

BrahmaSaraswati4 KumarasRudra10 PrajapatisNaradaDakshaManuBrihaspati11 RudrasKashyapaChandraVishravaSati / ParvatiIkshvaku line
CreatorCelibate RishiPrajapatiRishiRishi ConsortRishi CollectiveDevaDeva CollectiveAsuraAsura-aligned— — spouse line
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Showing 24 of 209✦ = notable

Brahma✦Brahmā

The Self-Born Creator

Creator

Architect of creation. Source of the Vedas. Mind-births the first sages who populate the cosmos.

Saraswati✦Sarasvatī

Goddess of Knowledge and Speech

Deva

Consort of Brahma. Presiding deity of vidya, vāk, music, and the river of the same name.

SanakaSanaka

Eternal-Youth Celibate

Celibate Rishi

Refused to procreate; chose lifelong meditation. Caused Brahma's first creation attempt to fail.

SanandanaSanandana

Eternal-Youth Celibate

Celibate Rishi

Refused to procreate; chose lifelong meditation. Caused Brahma's first creation attempt to fail.

SanatanaSanātana

Eternal-Youth Celibate

Celibate Rishi

Refused to procreate; chose lifelong meditation. Caused Brahma's first creation attempt to fail.

SanatkumaraSanatkumāra

Eternal-Youth Celibate

Celibate Rishi

Refused to procreate; chose lifelong meditation. Caused Brahma's first creation attempt to fail.

Rudra (Shiva)✦Rudra

The Howler -- Born of Brahma's Wrath

Creator

Created beings so terrifying Brahma asked him to stop. Withdrew into permanent tapas. Continues as M…

Marichi✦Marīci

Prajapati -- Light

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Light.

Atri✦Atri

Prajapati -- Vision

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Vision.

Angiras✦Aṅgiras

Prajapati -- Sacred sound

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Sacred sound.

Pulastya✦Pulastya

Prajapati -- Receiver of wisdom

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Receiver of wisdom.

Pulaha✦Pulaha

Prajapati -- Force of growth

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Force of growth.

Kratu✦Kratu

Prajapati -- Sacrificial action

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Sacrificial action.

Vasishtha✦Vasiṣṭha

Prajapati -- Wisdom and life-force

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Wisdom and life-force.

Bhrigu✦Bhṛgu

Prajapati -- Knower of karma

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Knower of karma.

Daksha✦Dakṣa

Prajapati -- Architect of progeny

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Architect of progeny.

Narada✦Nārada

Prajapati -- Cosmic messenger

Prajapati

One of the ten mind-born Prajapatis. Cosmic messenger.

Manu Svayambhuva✦Svāyambhuva Manu

The First Manu

Prajapati

Progenitor of the human race. Author of the Manvantara concept.

ShatarupaŚatarūpā

She of a Hundred Forms

Prajapati

First woman; mother of the human race.

Kashyapa✦Kaśyapa

Father of Devas, Asuras, Nagas, and All Beings

Prajapati

Married 13 daughters of Daksha. Through them fathered every category of being.

Sambhuti
Rishi Consort

Daughter of Daksha; consort of Marichi.

Anasuya✦Anasūyā

The Pure

Rishi Consort

Daughter of Kardama and Devahuti. Tested by the Trimurti who became her sons.

Chandra (Soma)✦Candra

Moon-God; Founder of the Lunar Dynasty

Deva

Born from Atri's eyes. Married 27 daughters of Daksha (Nakshatras). Father of Budha through Tara.

Dattatreya✦Dattātreya

The Trinity Incarnate

Vishnu Avatar

Embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva combined. Adi-guru of many traditions.

Sources: Vishnu Purana · Bhagavata Purana · Mahabharata Adi Parva · Ramayana Uttara Kanda

Tree Categories -- Colour Legend and Sample Members

Categoryश्रेणीColourSample MembersCount in Tree
Creatorस्रष्टाGoldBrahma, Saraswati2
Prajapatiप्रजापतिBurnt OrangeMarichi, Atri, Daksha, Vasishtha, Bhrigu, Narada16
Celibate Rishiब्रह्मचारी ऋषिPale GoldSanaka, Sananda, Sanatana, Sanatkumara4
RishiऋषिBrownVyasa, Parashara, Jamadagni, Brihaspati, Drona15
Rishi Consortऋषि पत्नीDusty RoseAnasuya, Renuka, Lopamudra, Arundhati19
DevaदेवSky BlueIndra, Surya, Vayu, Yama, Ashvins33
AvatarअवतारSaffronRama, Krishna, Parashurama, Dattatreya, Kalki9
AsuraअसुरDeep RedHiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha, Bali, Virochana7
Rakshasaराक्षसDarker RedRavana, Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana, Surpanakha9
NagaनागTealVasuki, Takshaka, Adi Shesha, Kaliya6
Apsaraअप्सराPinkAnjana (Hanuman's mother)1
Asura Bhaktaअसुर भक्तVioletPrahlada (Vishnu devotee in asura clan)2
Human Dynastyमानव वंशGreenPandavas, Kauravas, Rama, Ikshvaku, Kuru, Yadu80
Lineage Bridgeवंश सेतुGreyCompressed multi-generation chains in Solar/Paurava/Yadava lines3

Categories total 209 nodes. Lineage-bridge nodes are placeholder compressions used to skip 25-60 generation chains in the Solar Dynasty (Ikshvaku to Dasharatha), Paurava Dynasty (Puru to Shantanu), and Yadava Dynasty (Yadu to Vasudeva) without bloating the visualisation.

Did You Know? · क्या आप जानते हैं?
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Of the 209 nodes in this tree, 99 are flagged as notable -- meaning a typical educated Indian will recognise the name without explanation. The remaining 110 are the connective tissue: the wives, the half-sisters, the lesser-known sons whose only narrative role is to bridge between two famous figures. Without these 110 connectors, almost every famous-name lineage path would break. Vyasa would not connect to the Pandavas without Satyavati. Krishna would not connect to Atri-line cosmology without Yadu. The forgotten members of the family hold the famous ones together.

Read the Companion Article -- Brahma's Creation Lineage

The prose narrative companion piece walks through the three creation attempts and the most consequential branches in detail. This visualisation is the map. The companion article is the journey.

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Eternal Raga · शाश्वत राग

Institutional voice — scholarly articles on Sanatan Dharma

Reviewed by:Amrita Chatterjee

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