3. The Other Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata

In the previous paragraphs, we have dealt with the Sāmba- and the Bhaviṣya-purāṇas, in which we find the principal sections of literature regarding the Śākdvīpīya Brāhmaṇas. They are mentioned also in other Purāṇas and in the Mahābhārata; in some cases, they are just listed; in others, an explanation of their social status is provided.

Agni-purāṇa 119

[Gangadhadan 1985: 352]

magā magadhamanasyā mandagāśca dvijātayaḥ /
yajanti sūryyarūpaṃ tu śākaḥ kṣīrābdhinā vṛtaḥ // 21

20–21. […] The brahmins and others are Maga, Magadha, Mānasa and Mandaga. They worship (the lord) in the form of the sun. The Śāka dvīpa is surrounded by the Kṣīrābdhi.

Brahma-purāṇa 20

[Ed. Shastri 18, 71]^[1] [1985: 112]

magāś ca māgadhāś cauva mānasā mandagās tathā
magā brāhmaṇabhūyiṣṭhā māgadhāḥ kṣatriyās tu te // 71
vaiśyās tu mānasās teṣāṃ śūdrā jñeyās tu mandagāḥ
śākadvīpe sthitair viṣṇuḥ sūryarūpadharo hariḥ // 72
yathoktair ijyate samyak karmabhir niyatātmabhiḥ
śākadvīpas tato viprāḥ kṣīrodena samantataḥ // 73
śākadvīpapramāṇena valayeneva veṣṭitaḥ
kṣīrābdhiḥ sarvato viprāḥ puṣkarākhyena veṣṭitaḥ // 74

71–74. The four Varṇas are Magas, Māgadhas, Mānasas, and Mandagas. The Magas are brahmias [sic!]; Magadhas are Kṣatriyas; Mānasas are Vaiśyas and Mandagas are Śūdras.

Viṣṇu, who has assumed the form of the sun is worshipped by the residents of Śākadvīpa by performing appropriate holy rites in the manner they are laid down. The residents have perfect control of their souls and minds.

O brahmins, Śākadvīpa is encircled by the ocean of milk of the size of Śākadvīpa. It is as though encircled by a girdle.

O brahmins, the ocean of milk is encircled by Puṣkaradvīpa.

Kūrma-purāṇa 49

[Bhattacharya 1972: 277^[2] ]:

magāśca magadhāścaiva mānavā mandagāstathā /
brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāścātra krameṇa tu // 37
yajanti satataṃ devaṃ sarvalokaikasākṣiṇam /
vratopavāsairvividhairdevadevaṃ divākaram // 38
teṣāṃ sūryeṇa sāyujyaṃ sāmīpyaṃ ca sarupatā /
salokatā ca viprendrā jāyate tatprasādataḥ // 39

[Mukhopadhyaya 1890: 421 ]:

mṛgāśca^[3] magadhāścaiva mānasā mandagāstathā /
[…]
teṣāṃ vai sūr(y)yasāyujyaṃ^[4] sāmīpyaśca sarupatā /
[…]

[Bhattacharya 1972: 277]:

37–39. The casts there are Magas, Magadhas, Mānavas and Mandagas corresponding respectively to Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatryas, Vaiśyas and Śūdras.

They constantly worship the sun god, the overlord of the divinities, the sole witness to the (affairs of the) entire world, through the observance of various vows and fasts.

By the grace of the sun god, O eminent Brāhmaṇas, they attain the ‘Sāyujya’, ‘Sārūpya’ and ‘Sālokya’ (stages of emancipation) with the Sun god.

[Tagare 1981: 318]:

37–39. The Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas and Śūdras are respectively called Mṛga, Magadha, Mānasa and Mandagas.

By performing holy rites and observances of various sorts, they perpetually worship Divākara (the sun-god) the lord of Devas, the sole witness of all worlds.

O Brāhmaṇas, thanks to the favour of the Sun, they attain Sāyujya (identity) with the sun, Sāmīpya (nearness), Sarūpatā (similarity in appearance) and Salokatā (residence in the solar region).

Viṣṇu-purāṇa II. 4

[=Pathak 1997: 195]

magāś ca māgadhāś caiva mānasā mandagās tathā /
magā brāhmaṇabhūyiṣṭhā māgadhāḥ kṣatriyās tu te /
vaiśyās tu mānasās teṣāṃ śūdrās teṣāṃ tu mandagāḥ // 69
śākadvīpe tu tair viṣṇuḥ sūryarūpadharo mune /
yathoktair ijyate samyak karmabhir niyatātmabhiḥ // 70
śākadvīpas tu maitreya kṣīrodena samantataḥ /
śākadvīpapramāṇena valayeneva veṣṭitaḥ // 71

[Wilson 1840: 200]:

The caste of Mriga is that of the Brahman; the Mágadha, of the Kshetriya; the Mánasa, of the Vaiśya; and the Mandaga of the Śúdra: and by these Vishńu is devoutly worshipped as the sun, with appropriate ceremonies. Śáka-dwípa is encircled by the sea of milk, as by an armlet, and the sea is of the same breadth as the continent which it embraces.

Mahābhārata VI, 12

[Cherniak 2008: 90, 92]

tatra pūṇyā janapadāścatvāro lokasaṃmatāḥ /
magaśca maśakāścaiva mānasā mandagāstathā // 33
magā brāhmaṇabhūyīṣṭhāḥ svakarmanīratā nṛpa /
maśajeṣu tu rājanyā dhārmīkāḥ sarvakāmadāḥ // 34
mānaseṣu mahārāja vaiśyāḥ karmopajivīnaḥ /
sarvakāmasamāyuktāḥ śūrā dharmārthaniścitāḥ /
śūdrāstu mandage nityaṃ puruṣā dharmaśīlinaḥ // 35
tatra puṇyā jana|padāś catvāro loka|saṃmatāḥ:
Maṅgāś ca, Maśakāś c’âiva, Mānasā, Maṇḍagās tathā.
Maṅgā brāhmaṇa|bhūyiṣṭhāḥ sva|karma|niratā, nṛ|pa.
Maśakeṣu tu rājanyā dhārmikāḥ, sarva|kāma|dāḥ.
Mānasā ca, mahā|raja, vaiśya|dharm’|ô pajīvinaḥ,
sarva|kāma|samāyuktāḥ, śūrā, dharm’|â rtha|niścitāḥ.
śūdrās tu Mandagā nityaṃ puruṣā dharma|śīlinaḥ.
na tatra rājā, rāj’|ê ndra, na daṇḍo, na ca daṇḍikaḥ.
sva|dharmeṇ’â iva dharmaṃ ca te rakṣanti paras|param.^[5]

[Cherniak 2008: 91, 93]

People believe that there are four pure countries: the countries of the Mangas, the Máshakas, the Mánasas, and the Mándagas. The Mangas are mostly brahmins preoccupied with their duties, Your Majesty. Among the Máshakas are found virtuous Kshatriyas who fulfill [sic!] every request. The Mánasas, great king, live in accordance with the duties of vaishyas. With their every wish grantes, they are brave and committed to righteousness and commercial endeavor [sic!]. The Mándagas are shudras of everyvirtuous conduct. In those countries, king of kings, there is neither king nor punishment nor punisher. The inhabitants know their duties, and protect one another by fulfilling their respective duties.

This section of the Mahābhārata introduces people of different classes related to the countries of Śakadvīpa. This led SHRAVA (1981: 5) to consider them provinces and to relate them to the names of the people listed by Ptolemy: the Mṛga would correspond to the Margiana, the Masaka to the Massagetai and the Mandaga to the Makhaitegoi. The text of the Mahābhārata clearly connects the names with social positions, so we cannot consider them countries, but people; moreover, the term janapada- means not only ‘country’, but also ‘community, people’ (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 410, II). The terms could stand for the names of the populations that inhabited those countries, but not for the names of the provinces themselves. For this reason, the relation between the Magas/Mṛga and Margiana seems inconsistent.

Curiously, the Mahābhārata gives the names of the classes of Śākadvīpa only; for the other dvīpas no names of classes are presented (cf. CLARK 1919: 224).

Agni-purāṇa	Maga-	Magadha-	Mānasa-	Mandaga-
Brahma-purāṇa	Maga-	Māgadha-	Mānasa-	Mandaga-
Kūrma-purāṇa	Maga-/ Mṛga-[6]	Magadha-	Mānasa-	Mandaga-
Viṣṇu-purāṇa	Maga-/ Mṛga-[7]	Māgadha-	Mānasa-	Mandaga-
Mahābhārata	Maga-/Maṅga-/ Mṛga-[8]	Maśaka-/Masaka-	Mānasa-	Mandaga-

The Vāyu-, Matsya- and Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇas do not give the names of these classes at all. In the Bhāgavata-purāṇa (5. 20. 28), which follows a different textual tradition, the names are Ṛtavrata, Satyavrata, Dānavrata, and Anuvrata. Al-Bīrūnī, quoting the Matsya- and Viṣṇupurāṇas as they were known in his time, gives Mṛga, Māgadha, Mānasa, and Mandaga for Gomedadvīpa (Gomedakadvīpa) and Aryaka, Kurura, Vivimsa and Bhavin for Śākadvīpa.^[9]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

In SHASTRI’s translation, it is not chapter 20, but chapter 18; there is the same number of verses.

[2]:

The Sankrit text corresponds to GUPTA 1971: 350.

[3]:

Mukhopadhyaya noted the variation magāśca iti, but decided to adopt the reading mṛga-.

[4]:

In this case, like the previous one, the variant is mentioned, but not adopted.

[5]:

In CHERNIAK’s edition, this section is drawn from Mahābhārata VI. 2, 36–39.

[6]:

Kūrma-purāṇa 49 has Maga and Magadha in four manuscripts, Mṛga and Magadha in another four (cf. CLARK 1919: 224).

[7]:

Viṣṇu-purāṇa 2. 199–200 contains Mṛga, Mārga and Maga in the various manuscripts; the latter is the most common (ibid.).

[8]:

The Calcutta edition of the Mahābhārata has Mṛga- for the first class and Masaka- for the second (cf. CLARK 1919: 224).

[9]:

See SACHAU 1983: 120 f.