The status of a deity as svayambhu is observed to vary according to literature and a given tradition. For instance, while the Manusmriti and Srimad Bhagavatam describes Brahma to be Svayambhu, whereas the Mahabharata asserts that Brahma manifested from the lotus that emerged from Vishnu, transferring the status from the former to the latter. The Srimad Bhagavatam also accords the status to Svayambhuva Manu, the first man born during a given age of the earth.
