The Markandeya Purana

by Frederick Eden Pargiter | 1904 | 247,181 words | ISBN-10: 8171102237

This page relates “the birth of marttanda” which forms the 105th chapter of the English translation of the Markandeya-purana: an ancient Sanskrit text dealing with Indian history, philosophy and traditions. It consists of 137 parts narrated by sage (rishi) Markandeya: a well-known character in the ancient Puranas. Chapter 105 is included the section known as “conversation between Markandeya and Kraustuki”.

Canto CV - The Birth of Mārttaṇḍa

The Sun revealed himself to Aditi and became her son as Mārttaṇḍa—This name is explained—Mārttaṇḍa destroyed the demonsand restored the gods to their sovereign positions.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thereupon from out of that his own glory the Sun revealed[1] himself; the lord, the Sun, appeared then, like unto glowing copper. And the luminous one spoke, O muni, unto the goddess, who fell prostrate when she beheld him—“Choose from me the coveted boon that thou desirest.” And she, lying prostrate with her head on the ground and pressing the earth with her knees, answered the Sun who present in his very person offered her a boon:—

“O god! be gracious; the three worlds have been snatched[2] from my sons, and the shares in sacrifices also, by both the Daityas and the Dānavas who excel them in strength. Do thou, O lord of the heavenly cattle, bestow on me favour for that purpose; with a portion of thyself enter thou into brotherhood with them and destroy their enemies. In order that my sons may again partake of the shares of the sacrifices, O lord, and may become rulers of the three worlds, O Sun, do thou then most graciously show compassion[3] on my sons, O Sun, who removest the afflictions of suppliants; thou art called the Author of permanence.”

Mārbaṇḍeya spoke:

Thereupon the adorable lord, the Sun, the robber of the waters, spoke unto prostrate Aditi, O brāhman, while his countenance was benign with favour[4]—“Taking birth in thy womb with all my thousand portions, I will speedily destroy the foes of thy sons, O Aditi, in security.”[5]

Having spoken thus the adorable Sun vanished from her sight; and she ceased from her austerities, having gained all her desire. Thereupon the Sun’s ray called Sausumna[6] from out of his thousand rays[7] became incarnate in the womb of the mother of the gods, O brāhman. And she, with her mind composed, performed the arduous cāndrāyaṇa penance[8] and other austerities. Being pure she conceived him, knowing that the embryo was a heavenly one, O brāhman. Then spoke Kaśyapa to her with words somewhat confused through anger,—“Why dost thou destroy the egg in thy womb by continual fasting?” And she said to him,—“Seest thou this egg within my womb, O wrathful man? It has not been destroyed; it shall be for the death of our adversaries.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Having spoken so she, who is the path of the gods,[9] in anger at her husband’s words, gave birth to the child then which blazed brilliantly with glory. Kaśyapa, on seeing the child which shone like the rising sun, fell prostrate and praised it respectfully with ancient Ṛc hymns. Being so praised, he revealed himself from out the fœtal egg, having a lustre like unto the petal of a lotus-flower, pervading the regions of the sky with his glory. Moreover a voice deep as a thunder-cloud’s, addressing[10] Kaśyapa, best of munis, from the air, spoke, issuing from no corporeal being—“Whereas thou, O muni, hast spoken of this egg as destroyed[11] to thee, therefore, O muni, this thy son shall be called Mārttaṇḍa. And he as lord shall exercise the Sun’s sway on the earth; and he shall slay the Asuras, the foes who have carried oil the shares of the sacrifices.”

The gods hearing this speech from heaven assembled together, and experienced unparalleled joy; and the Dānavas were bereft of their vigour. Thereupon Indra challenged the Daityas to battle; and the Dānavas filled with joy encountered the gods. Terrible was the battle of the gods with the Asuras, wherein all the regions between the worlds were rendered brilliant with the light from the arms and weapons. In that battle the adorable Mārttaṇḍa looked at those great Asuras, and being burnt up by his splendour they were reduced to ashes. Thereupon all the dwellers in heaven experienced unparalleled joy, and praised Mārttaṇḍa the source of splendour and also Aditi; moreover they regained their own spheres of dominion and their shares of the sacrifices as before; and the adorable Mārttaṇḍa also exercised his own dominion. Like unto a rounded ball of fire with rays shooting out both downward and upward like a globular flower-head of the kadamba, the Sun assumed a body that did not flash over-poweringly.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For ādir bhūto read āvir-bhūto, as in the Bombay edition.

[2]:

For kṛtaṃ read hṛtaṃ.

[3]:

For anukampā read anukampām.

[4]:

For prasādaṃ sumukho read prasāda-sumukho.

[5]:

For nir-vṛtāḥ read nir-vṛtāḥ.

[6]:

This is the reading of both the editions, but it is not in the dictionary. Suṣumnu is the name of one of the Sun’s seven principal rays, that which is supposed to supply heat to the moon. The reading here should therefore presumably be Suṣumṇa or Sauṣumṇa.

[7]:

For raśmi-sahasram read raśmi-sahasrāt as in the Bombay edition,

[8]:

See Manu vi. 20.

[9]:

This is the Bombay reading, surāraṇiḥ. The Calcutta reading surāvaniḥ seems incorrect.

[10]:

For ābhāsya read ābhāṣya?

[11]:

Māritam aṇḍam.

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