The Markandeya Purana (Study)

by Chandamita Bhattacharya | 2021 | 67,501 words

This page relates ‘Division of Varna (c): The Vaishyas’ of the study on the Markandeya Purana, one of the oldest of the eigtheen Mahapuranas preserving the history, civilisation, culture and traditions of ancient India. The Markandeyapurana commences with the questions raised by Rishi Jaimini (a pupil of Vyasa), who approaches the sage Markandeya with doubts related to the Mahabharata. This study examines various social topics such as the status of women, modes of worship, yoga, etc.

Division of Varṇa (c): The Vaiśyas

The Vaiśya occupied the third position in the society. The earliest occurrence of the term vaiśya is found in the Ṛgveda, the Atharvaveda and the Vājasaneyisaṃhitā also.[1] According to the view of Jogiraj Basu the word vaiśya means an individual in general and a class in particular.[2] The words Viś[3] and Vaiśya[4] are used to denoteVaiśya in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. The term viś does not signify vaiśya in all hymns of the Ṛgveda.

According to Yājñavalkyasmṛti trade and the tending of cattle are the sanctioned duties for the Vaiśyas.[5] Merchandise (vāṇjjya), cattle-rearing (paśu-pālya) and animal husbandry (paśupālanam [paśupālana]), agriculture (kṛṣi) etc. are the main functions of the Vaiśya.[6] The mention of the duties of Vaiśyas is also found in some other Smṛti texts like Yājñavalkyasmṛti etc.[7]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ṛgveda, 10.90.12; Atharvaveda,5.17.9; 6.13.1; Vājasaneyisaṃhitā,33.5; 18.48

[2]:

vaiśaṃ ityaya śabdaḥ prajāmātravāci vaiśya jāti-viṣeṣavācī vā, J.Basu, India of the Age of the Brahmaṇas, p.14

[3]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 10.22

[4]:

Ibid., 10.91

[5]:

M.N. Dutta, The Dharma Sastra,Vol. I,p.21

[6]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 25.6 b; 47.76; 111.4; Viṣṇupurāṇa, 3.8.30-31; Kūrmapurāṇa, 2.39-40, Agnipurāṇa, 151.9; Bhagavadgītā, 18.44

[7]:

Yājñavalkyasmṛti, 1.119

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