Chapter 98 - The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa: Contents

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Brahmā said:

1. O sage, henceforth, I shall narrate the Purāṇa named Mārkaṇḍeya.^[1] It is highly meritorious to those who read and listen to it.

2. All the Dharmas have been reviewed therein with reference to the wise birds (in the Vindhya mountains)^[2]. Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa is said to contain nine thousand verses.^[3]

3. At the outset, the question of sage Mārkaṇḍeya to Jaimini is mentioned. Thereafter, the nativity of birds designated Dharma is recounted.

4. The story of their previous birth; the aberration of Divaspati (Lord of Heaven); the pilgrimage of Bala, the narrative of the sons of Draupadī.

5. The holy story of Hariścandra; the battle named Āḍībaka;^[4] the narrative of the father and son (viz. Mahāmati and Sumati), then the story of Dattātreya.^[5]

6. Then the story of Haihaya along with the great narrative, (the story of Kuvalayāśva?) then the story of Madālasā is mentioned along with the story of Alarka.

7. The holy glorification of the creation is made in nine ways; the end of the period of Kalpa is pointed out, the review of the creation of the Yakṣas.

8. The creation by Rudra and others is mentioned; the activities in the continents have been mentioned; the stories of the Manus, diverse and destructive of sins, have been mentioned.

9. Among those stories, the story of Durgā is exceedingly meritorious, in the eighth Manvantara. Thereafter, the origin of Praṇava hailing from the brilliance of the three Vedas.

10. The narration of the nativity of Mārtaṇḍa along with its greatness; the race of Vaivasvata; then the story of Vatsaprī.

11. Then the holy story of the noble-souled Khanitra is mentioned; the story of Avikṣit and the glorification of Kimiccha Vrata^[6] (the vowed observance called “What do you wish?”)

12. The story of Nariṣyanta, then the story of Ikṣvāku thereafter, the story of Nala, and then the excellent story of Rāmacandra.

13. The narration of the line of Kuśa; the description of the lunar race; the holy story of Purūravas and the wonderful story of Nahuṣa.

14. The holy story of Yayāti, the enumeration of the scions of the family of Yadu; the story of infant Kṛṣṇa and then the story of his life at Mathurā.

15. The story of his life at Dvārakā, the stories of all incarnations. Then the description of the Sāṅkhya philosophy, the glorification of Sattva quality in the world.

16. 18. Then the story of Mārkaṇḍeya; the benefit of listening to the Purāṇa. The man who listens to this Purāṇa called Mārkaṇḍeya with great devotion and respect, O dear one, attains the greatest goal. He who writes a gloss on this, attains the region of Śiva; He who writes the whole Purāṇa and gives it to an excellent Brāhmaṇa on the full moon day in the month of Kārttika along with the replica of an elephant in gold, attains the region of Brahmā. He who narrates or listens to this index (of topics in this Purāṇa) shall attain the benefit desired as in the case of the whole Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

This Purāṇa is available in two editions—B.I. (Bibliotheca Indica series) and Veṅkaṭeśvar Press. Both the editions, however, differ in the total number of chapters (viz. 137 and 134) and number of verses in many chapters. This Purāṇa is noted for the Devī Māhātmya or the famous Saptaśatī which, though an interpolation, must have taken place long before 1000 A.D., as verses from the Saptaśatī are quoted in the Dadhimati Mata Inscription (in former Jodhpur state dated 289 of the Gupta era (608 A.D.) vide Epi. Ind. XI. 299-303. This Purāṇa is assigned a date between 400-600 A.D. (Kane History of Dharma Śāstra V: 11. 903)

[2]:

Verses 2-3. This refers to the introductory part (chs 1 -7) of the Mk. P. in which Mārkaṇḍeya directs Jaimini to approach the wise birds in Vindhya mountain to get answers for his Mahābhārara problems (about the Mahābhārata story such as the reason of Nirguṇa Vāsudeva’s assumption of human form, Balarāma’s token expiation for a Brāhmaṇa-slaughter etc.) I wonder why Jaimini, a direct disciple of Vyāsa, the author of the Mahābhārata, approached Mārkaṇḍeya for problems about the Mahābhārata and not to Vyāsa himself. The wise birds called Dharmas explain his difficulties.

[3]:

According to the Nārada Purāṇa, Vāyu, Matsya, Agni and Bhāgavata Purāṇa the Mārkaṇḍeya P. consists of 9000 verses but the Veṅkaṭeśvar edition gives only 6447 verses (Purāṇa VIII.2. (349). It is possible that when Nārada-purāṇa was finally redacted, the stories of Rāma, Purūravas, Nahuṣa, Kṛṣṇa etc. must have been in the then MSS of Mk. P., but they came to be deleted later and the printed editions of the Mk.P. do not include them. Hence the deficiency in the number of verses.

[4]:

The combat fought between Āḍi (an acquatic bird) and a crane into which Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra had been transformed respectively due to curses given by them to each other due to the harsh treatment given by Viśvāmitra to King Hariścandra. God Brahmā intervened and stopped this duel.

[5]:

Cf. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.3,52 where Dattātreya, the 6th incarnation of Viṣṇu explained Ānvīkṣikī to Alarka and Prahlāda.

[6]:

Kimiccha Vrata is given in the MkP, 122.8,17,20. Atithi is asked what he wants and it is supplied to him. Avikṣit, the son oF Karandhama carried this vrata of his mother and proclaimed: “O beggars (arthinaḥ), I have solemnly resolved to give you whatever you wish”.

kimicchatha dadāmyeṣa kriyamāṇe kimicchike—Mk. P, 122.20