The Markandeya Purana

by Bibek Debroy

  ‘“Having slain him, the prince freed the two sons of the king and his slender-limbed daughter, Mudavati. After Kujrimbha was killed, the lord of the nagas, known as Ananta Shesha, accepted the mace. O store of austerities! Shesha, the lord all of nagas, was extremely pleased with Mudavati. The beautiful one knew that the Sounanda mace would lose its powers if it was touched by a woman’s hand and had repeatedly touched it. O brahmana! The king of the nagas gave Mudavati a new name of Sunanda. This was because he was happy and because of the qualities of Sounanda. 966 The prince quickly brought her and her brothers before their father and bowed down before him. He said, ‘O father! Following your command, I have brought Mudavati and your two sons. Instruct me about what I should do next.’ The king’s heart was filled with delight. In pleasant words, he said, ‘O child! You have done well. There are three reasons for even the gods to show me respect today—you have become my son-in-law, the enemy has been brought down and my children have been brought back to me, unharmed. As I had said, accept her hand on this auspicious day. You are a prince and this slender-limbed maiden is my daughter. Happily unite with Mudavati and make my words come true.’ The prince replied, ‘O father! Your words are my command. I will act in accordance with your words. O father! You know that we do not have any rights in the matter.’ 967 The Indra among kings arranged for the marriage of his daughter, Mudavati, with Bhalandana’s son. Vatsapri was a young man and he amused himself with her in beautiful regions and the tops of palaces. After some time had passed, the father, Bhalandana, became old and retired to the forest. Vatsapri became the king. He performed sacrifices. Following dharma, he protected the subjects. As one protects a son, the great-souled one protected the subjects. The kingdom prospered and there was no mixing of the varnas. No one suffered any fear on account of bandits, predatory creatures or evil-doers. As long as he ruled as the king, there was no fear on account of evil portents.”’

  Chapter 114

  ‘Markandeya said, “Through Sunanda, he had twelve sons—Pramgshu, Pravira, Shura, Suchakra, Vikrama, Krama, Bali, Balaka, Chanda, Prachanda, Suvkrima and Sunaya. All of them were immensely fortunate and supreme in battles. The eldest, the immensely valiant Pramgshu, became the king. The others remained subservient to him and were like his servants. At his sacrifices, many piles of objects were given to dvijas and even the inferior varnas. 968 This made the name vasundhara come true. 969 He ruled over his subjects properly, as if they were his own sons. With the pile of riches in his treasury, he performed hundreds of thousands of sacrifices. O sage! There were so many that they cannot be enumerated as ayuta, koti, padma, 970 or other such numbers. His son was Prajati and at his sacrifice, Shatakratu and the other gods received shares of sacrifices and obtained unmatched delight. He 971 killed ninety-nine extremely valiant danavas; Bala, supreme among strong ones; Jambha, the supreme asura; and many other immensely valiant enemies of the immortals.

  ‘“O sage! Prajati had five sons and Khanitra was the chief among them. Khanitra was famous because of his own valour and he became the king. He was serene, truthful in speech, brave and engaged in the welfare of all creatures. He was always devoted to his own dharma, served the aged and was extremely learned in the sacred texts. He was eloquent in speech and possessed humility. He was accomplished in the use of weapons, but did not boast. He was loved by all the people. Day and night, he incessantly spoke the following words. ‘Let all creatures rejoice. Even in desolate places, let them display affection. Let all creatures be well. Let them not suffer from any fear. May living beings not suffer from any physical or mental disease. Let all the people nurture friendliness towards all beings. May everything be auspicious for dvijas. May they have affection towards each other. May all the varnas be prosperous. May they be successful in their tasks. May the worlds be auspicious towards all creatures. May your minds be such that you desire welfare for all of them, just as you do for your own self, or for your son. May the intelligence be such that there is welfare for all creatures. May this great benefit occur. Who commits a crime against whom? Even if there is a slight bit of injury, who has caused that? All such notions result from confusion in the mind. The person who is the doer will certainly face the fruits of his act. O people! Holding this view, be auspicious in your intelligence towards everyone. So that they can obtain beneficial worlds, let learned people not commit sins in this world. If a person loves me now, let everything on earth always be beneficial for him. But even if a person hates me in this world, let him also see everything auspicious.’ Such was the nature of Khanitra, the king’s son. The lotus-eyed one was prosperous and possessed all the qualities. Affectionate towards his brothers, he made them lords of separate regions. He himself enjoyed the earth, with boundaries extending up to the oceans. Shouri was given the east, Udavasu the south, Sunaya 972 the western direction and Maharatha the north. He and these kings had separate gotras and separate priests. The sages and ministers had a hereditary line of succession. 973 Shouri’s priest was a brahmana named Suhotra, born in Atri’s lineage. Udavasu’s priest was Kushavarta, born in Goutama’s lineage. Sunaya’s priest was named Pramati and he was born in Kashyapa’s lineage. King Maharatha’s priest was Vasishtha. Those four lords of men ruled over their own kingdoms. Khanitra was the overall emperor and ruled over the entire earth. Treating them like sons, King Khanitra was always engaged in the welfare of all his brothers and all the subjects.

  ‘“Once, Shouri’s minister, Vishvavedin, spoke to him. ‘O protector of the earth! We want to tell you something in private. A true king is the one to whom all the kings of the earth are subservient and he is subsequently succeeded by his sons and grandsons. His brothers are initially kings over small dominions. His sons will have smaller territories and his grandsons will have even smaller territories. 974 Over a period of time, this is what happens from one generation to another generation. O lord of the earth! Eventually, his descendants have to eke out a living from agriculture. Though his brothers offer him strength and affection, he is not acting so as to save his brothers. What affection will a king show towards those who are further away, like his brother’s sons? O lord of the earth! He will regard his brother’s grandsons as being even further away. Is there any reason why he should have affection towards a son who is further still? 975 If a person seeks to satisfy the king through any means possible, what is the point of appointing ministers? 976 If you act in accordance with my counsel, you will alone be able to enjoy the entire kingdom. If you are satisfied with what you possess, why have me? To accomplish sovereignty, one needs a doer and an agent. Obtaining the entire kingdom is the task and you are the doer. We are the agents. Using us as agents, rule over the kingdom of your father and ancestors. We are not meant to provide you fruits in the world hereafter.’ The king replied, ‘Our eldest brother is the king and we are his younger brothers. That is the reason he enjoys the earth, while we rule over smaller territories. O immensely intelligent one! We are five brothers and there is only a single earth. How can each of us possess a separate prosperity over the entire earth?’ Vishvavedin said, ‘O king! It is indeed true that there is but a single earth. Why don’t you then become the eldest and rule over all of it? You become the emperor of everything and the lord over everything. Just as I am trying for you, the other ministers are trying for them.’ The king replied, ‘The eldest is the king and he serves us affectionately, as if we are his sons. How can I act towards him as if I have a sense of ownership over the entire world?’ Vishvavedin said, ‘O lord of the earth! When you are established in the kingdom, you will also be worshipped as the eldest, deserving offerings of wealth. What is this about the eldest and the youngest? The kingdom is for men who want it.’ O excellent one! When the king agreed to this and pledged accordingly, Vishvavedin, the minister, brought his brothers under his subjugation. Through conciliation and other means, he brought their priests under his control and engaged them in abhichara rites against Khanitra. Using sama, dana, bheda and other means, be weaned away those who were devot
ed to him. He used the power of his own danda to make supreme efforts. From one day to another day, the four priests performed extremely fierce abhichara rites. Four she-demons 977 were generated from this. She was dreadful and possessed a large mouth. She was extremely terrible to behold. She held aloft a spear that was extremely awful. She arrived at the place where King Khanitra was. However, the wicked one was repulsed by his auspicious store of good merits. Those four she-demons then descended on those evil-souled ones, the four priests of the kings and Vishvavedin. The priests were killed and burnt to ashes by the she-demon. And so was the minister, Vishvavedin, who offered evil counsel to Shouri.”’

  Chapter 115

  ‘Markandeya said, “Since those who resided in different cities were killed at the same time, there was great amazement in all the worlds. He 978 heard that his brothers’ priests had been killed and that his brother’s minister, Vishvavedin, had been burnt down. O supreme sage! The great king, Khanitra, was extremely surprised and exclaimed, ‘What is this?’ He did not know the reason. When Vasishtha came to his house, the king asked him about the reason why his brother’s priests and the minister had been destroyed. Asked by him, the great sage told him exactly what had happened—what Shouri’s minister had said, what Shouri had said in reply, what the wicked minister had done to bring about dissension among his brothers, what the priests had done and why the priests, who were normally compassionate even towards an enemy, had been destroyed because they sought to harm an innocent king. Hearing this, the king exclaimed, ‘Alas! Woe is me.’ O brahmana! In front of Vasishtha, he blamed his own self. The king said, ‘Shame on me! I am not the store of anything auspicious. I am limited in fortune. There is no decency in me. Through the evil working of destiny, I have committed a crime that is condemned by all the worlds. Because of me, four brahmanas have been destroyed. Which man on earth is a greater sinner than me? Had I not been born as a man on this earth, then my brothers’ priests would not have been destroyed. Shame on the kingdom! Shame on my birth in a great lineage of kings! I have become the reason for the destruction of the brahmanas. My brothers’ priests were only working for the sake of their masters. They were not destroyed because they were wicked. Since I am the reason behind the destruction, I am wicked. What will I do? Where will I go? There is no one on earth who is as much of a sinner as I am. I am the proximate reason for the destruction of brahmanas.’ Khanitra, the lord of the earth, thus grieved in his heart. Desiring to go to the forest, he consecrated his son. The lord of the earth instated his son, known as Kshupa, in the kingdom. Along with his three wives, he left for the forest, to perform austerities. Having gone there, following the norms of vanaprastha, he tormented himself through austerities. The excellent king did this for three hundred and fifty years. O supreme among brahmanas! As a result of the austerities, the noble king’s body became emaciated. While dwelling in the forest, he restrained all the flows in his body and gave up his life. He went to the auspicious worlds, where all the objects of desire can be eternally milked, worlds obtained by kings who perform horse sacrifices and other sacrifices. Along with him, his three wives also gave up their lives and also obtained the worlds obtained by that extremely great-souled one. If one hears about Khanitra’s conduct, or reads about it, all the sins are destroyed. O immensely fortunate one! Now hear about Kshupa.”’

  Chapter 116

  ‘Markandeya said, “Having obtained the kingdom, Kshupa, Khanitra’s son, ruled over the subjects just as his father had done. He followed dharma and delighted them. The lord of the earth performed sacrifices and was devoted to donating. In administering justice and other things, he was impartial between friend and foe. O sage! Once, when the lord of the earth was in his residence, the sutas told him, ‘You are just like the King Kshupa who existed in earlier times. Earlier, Brahma’s son, Kshupa, used to be the lord of the earth. One should act so that one can match his conduct.’ The king answered, ‘I wish to hear about the conduct of the extremely great-souled Kshupa. If I am capable of acting in that way, I shall also do what he did.’ The sutas said, ‘O lord of the earth! In those earlier times, the king freed cattle and brahmanas from taxes. 979 With the one-sixth he collected, 980 the great-souled one performed a sacrifice.’ The king answered, ‘How can someone like me follow those great-souled kings? They were excellent in their intelligence. However, one must endeavour. Therefore, hear about the pledge I am taking now. I will try to follow the great king, Kshupa. I am making this pledge to the four varnas on earth. When the crops are harvested thrice, 981 I will perform three sacrifices. The taxes paid by cattle and brahmanas will be the same as what they paid formerly during that king’s time. Indeed, I will pay to cattle and brahmanas.’ Having made this pledge, Kshupa acted in accordance with his words. After the harvesting was done, he performed three supreme sacrifices. He gave riches to cattle and brahmanas that were equal to what the cattle and brahmanas would earlier have paid as taxes.

  ‘“Through his wife Pramatha, he had an unblemished son named Vira. Because of his 982 power and valour, all the kings on earth were brought under subjugation. His beloved wife was named Nandini and she was from Vidarbha. Through her, the lord had a son named Vivimsha. As long as the immensely energetic and great king, Vivimsha, ruled the earth, the earth was always full of men. Parjanya rained at the right time and the earth was full of crops. The harvests were plentiful and the fruits were succulent. The juices provided nourishment, and yet, the juices did not lead to any intoxication. The great store of riches was no reason for men to turn insolent. O great sage! The enemies were terrified of his power. The large number of people and well-wishers were healthy and delighted and worshipped him. He ruled over the earth properly and performed a large number of sacrifices. After being killed in a battle, he went to Shakra’s world.”’

  Chapter 117

  ‘Markandeya said, “His son was Khaninetra, immensely strong and valiant. The gandharvas were amazed at his sacrifices and sang, ‘There will never be another person on earth who sacrifices like Khaninetra.’ After having performed ten thousand sacrifices, he donated the earth, along with its oceans. He donated the entire earth to great-souled brahmanas. Without striving for them, he obtained pleasurable objects through his austerities. But he donated all those unmatched and supreme riches that he obtained. O brahmana! After receiving from him, the brahmanas did not accept from any other king. He performed sixty-seven thousand, sixty-seven hundred and sixty-seven sacrifices at which large quantities of dakshina were given.

  ‘“The lord of the earth had no son. O great sage! For the sake of a son, he desired to perform a sacrifice to the ancestors. Desiring flesh for the sacrifice, he went on a hunt. He was alone and without any soldiers, in the great forest. He was astride a horse, holding a sword and bow and arrows. His fingerguards were made out of lizard skin. As he urged his mount on, a deer quickly emerged from another part of the dense forest and said, ‘Accomplish your purpose by killing me.’ The king replied, ‘The other deer were greatly scared on seeing me and ran away. Why do you wish to act in this way, offering yourself up to death?’ The deer said, ‘O great king! I do not have a son. My birth is futile and without any purpose. Having reflected on it, I do not see any reason for my remaining alive.’ In the presence of this deer, another deer approached the lord of the earth and said, ‘That is enough. Kill me and accomplish your purpose with my flesh. You will then achieve your objective and also do a favour to me. O great king! For the sake of a son, you wish to undertake a sacrifice to your own ancestors. How will your desired purpose be accomplished with the flesh of someone who is without a son? The objects offered must be appropriate in comparison with what a task is meant to achieve. A person who possesses knowledge about scents does not use something with a bad odour to determine a good fragrance.’ The king replied, ‘The other deer said that the reason for its non-attachment is the lack of a son. What is the reason for your non-attachment? Why do you want to give up your life? Tell me.’ The deer said, ‘O lord of the ear
th! I have many sons and daughters. I am full of miserable thoughts about them, as if I am dwelling in the midst of a blazing forest conflagration. O Indra among men! As a species, deer are extremely weak and can be subdued by anyone. I have a sense of ownership in my children and I am miserable on their account. I am scared of humans, lions, tigers, wolves and other things. O lord! I am even scared of dogs and jackals, the worst among all creatures. For the sake of my relatives, I desire that the earth should be empty of the fear of humans, lions and other things that are extremely cruel. Indeed, for the sake of nurturing them, I wish that creatures that sustain themselves on grass, cattle, sheep, goats, horses and the like, should also come about their destruction. My offspring go out separately and because of my sense of ownership, hundreds of thoughts overwhelm my mind. When my son is grazing in the forest, has he been ensnared by a crafty net? Has he been struck by a thunderbolt, or trapped by a noose? Has he been subjugated by a man, a lion, or something else? If one reaches home, I wonder what state the one who has not reached home is in. My relatives have reached that extremely large forest and it has been a long while. How are they? O king! When I see that all of them have reached home, I am slightly relieved. But I also sigh a little, hoping for the safety that night will bring. When it is dawn, I desire their safety during the day. When it is dusk, I desire their safety during the night. My desire is for a state when there will be safety all the time. O lord of the earth! I have thus told you the reason for my great anxiety. Therefore, show me a favour and use your arrow to bring me down. Thus, pierced by hundreds of miseries, I want to give up my life. O lord of the earth! I have told you about the reason. Listen to my words. Those who kill themselves go to the world known as Asurya. 983 O lord! But animals appropriate for sacrifices obtain lofty and excellent worlds. Agni used to be an animal earlier. 984 The lord of the oceans used to be an animal. Having obtained the ultimate position in a sacrifice, the sun obtained its lofty state. 985 O king! Therefore, show me your compassion and also convey me to a lofty state. After that, obtaining a son, you will achieve your desired objective.’ The first deer said, ‘O Indra among kings! He should not be killed. He has many sons. He has performed good deeds and is blessed. Since I possess no offspring, I am the one who should be killed.’ The second deer said, ‘Since all your fear and miseries are in a single body, you are the one who is blessed. 986 Since I have many bodies, I face many kinds of miseries. Earlier, when I was alone, all my sorrows were only on account of my own body. However, when I got a wife, my miseries doubled because of that sense of ownership. When the offspring were born, the miseries were as many as the bodies they possessed. Since you have no reason for excessive grief, haven’t you been successful? The offspring may have the opposite effect in the world hereafter, 987 but in this world, they are the reason for grief. I act for the sake of protecting and nourishing the offspring. I think that because of this, I will certainly go to hell.’ The king replied, ‘O deer! I do not know who is blessed, one with offspring, or one without offspring. My attempt to get a son has led to this vacillation in my mind. It is true that offspring can lead to suffering in this world and in the next world. But I have also heard that those without offspring incur a debt. 988 O deer! Therefore, for the sake of obtaining a son, I will undertake a sacrifice, but without killing animals. As a former lord of the earth did, I will practise terrible austerities.’”’