The Markandeya Purana

by Bibek Debroy

  ‘“Avikshit was comforted by his father and other kings, who cited instances from former times. He too returned to the city. The maiden took her leave from the relatives and went to the forest. She fasted and tormented herself through austerities. She resorted to supreme non-attachment. When she fasted for three months, she was reduced to an extremely emaciated and miserable state, consisting only of veins. The slender-limbed one was no longer interested in making any other efforts. The young girl was ready to die. The gods got to know that she had made up her mind to give up her life. Therefore, they sent a messenger of the gods to her presence. Arriving before her, he said, ‘O daughter of a king! I am a messenger sent by the gods to you. Hear about what must be done. You should not give up your body, which is so very difficult to obtain. O fortunate one! You will be the mother of a chakravarti. O immensely fortunate one! He will slay the enemy and without being obstructed in any way, enjoy the earth, with its seven dvipas, for a very long time. In front of the gods, he must kill the enemy, Tarujit, and the cruel Ayas and Shanku. He must establish the subjects in dharma. He must protect all the four varnas in pursuing their own dharma. He must slay bandits, mlechchhas and others who are evil in their minds. O fortunate one! He must perform and complete many sacrifices, with the best of dakshina. He must perform horse sacrifices and other sacrifices that number six thousand.’ The princess saw him stationed in the sky, adorned with divine garlands and unguents. She spoke softly to the messenger of the gods. ‘It is true that you have come from heaven as a messenger of the gods. There is no doubt about that. But how can there be a son without a husband? I have taken a pledge in my father’s presence that no one other than Avikshit will be my husband in this life. Though he was requested by my father, his father Karandhama and me, he does not desire me.’ The messenger of the gods replied, ‘O immensely fortunate one! There is no need to speak a lot. A son will be born to you. You should not give up your life. That is adharma. Remain in this grove and nourish your emaciated body. Through the power of your austerities, everything will be well with you.’ Having said this, the messenger of the gods returned to the place he had come from. From one day to another day, the one with the excellent eyebrows nourished her body.”’

  Chapter 122

  ‘Markandeya said, “On one occasion, Avikshit’s mother Vira, the mother of a brave son, summoned him on an auspicious day. She spoke to her son, Avikshit. ‘O son! Permitted by your great-souled father, I will undertake a vow of fasting. This is extremely difficult and is known as kimichchhaka. 1004 The success of this depends on your father, you and me. If you take a pledge that you will do this, then I will undertake the vow. I will give you half the riches from your father’s great treasury. The riches do belong to your father, but I have his permission to use them. My contribution to the success is the hardship, and it will ensure benefit. Your contribution to the success is through your strength and valour. There will be no success otherwise. Or the success will only come about through miseries. O son! If you truly take the pledge, then so will I. Tell me. What are your views?’ Avikshit replied, ‘The riches belong to my father and I have no ownership over them. As you have said, if there is anything that can be done with my body, I will do it. O mother! Do not worry and be distressed about the kimichchhaka vow. It has the approval of the king, my father, the lord of riches, and of me.’ At this, the king’s queen prepared herself to accomplish the vow. As has been instructed, she controlled herself and worshipped Kubera. 1005 She worshipped all the nidhis and the large number of guardians of all the nidhis. With supreme devotion, she controlled her speech, body and mind and worshipped Lakshmi.

  ‘“King Karandhama resided in a secluded part of his house. While he was seated there, his advisers, who were accomplished in all the sacred texts, spoke to him. The advisers said, ‘O king! While ruling over the earth, you have become old. You have one son, Avikshit, and he has given up all thought of taking a wife. 1006 He does not have a son. O lord of the earth! When he faithfully follows your path, it is certain that the earth, which belongs to you, will pass into the hands of the enemy. Your lineage will be destroyed and the offerings of pinda and water to your ancestors will also be destroyed. There is this great fear from enemies. In addition, the rites will suffer. O lord of the earth! Therefore, act so that your son again steadily applies his mind to repaying the debt due to the ancestors.’ At this time, the lord of the earth heard words spoken by Vira’s priest to supplicants. ‘Who wants what? Who has something that is extremely difficult to achieve? Karandhama’s queen is now observing the kimichchhaka vow.’ Prince Avikshit also heard the priest’s words. He spoke to all the supplicants who had gathered at the king’s gate. ‘Let people speak. Is there anything that can be accomplished with my body? My immensely fortunate mother is observing the kimichchhaka vow. Let all the supplicants hear. I have given my pledge. What do you want? As long as the kimichchhaka vow is being observed, I will give it.’ The king heard the words that emerged from his son’s mouth. He rose up and spoke to his son, ‘I am a supplicant. Give it to me.’ Avikshit replied, ‘O father! I must give to you. Tell me what you want. Let the task be extremely difficult to accomplish, easy to accomplish, or one that is accomplished with hardship.’ The king said, ‘If you have truly taken a pledge about the kimichchhaka vow, give it to me. Show me the face of my grandson, lying down on my lap.’ Avikshit replied, ‘O king! I am your only son and I am observing brahmacharya. I do not have a son. How can I show you your grandson’s face?’ The king said, ‘If you stick to this, brahmacharya will lead to sin. Therefore, free yourself 1007 and show me my grandson.’ Avikshit replied, ‘O great king! Command me about something else that is extremely difficult. Non-attachment means that I have given up all association with women. Let it be that way.’ The king said, ‘You have witnessed victory against many enemies who fought with you. Even after that, if you adhere to non-attachment, you are not learned. There is no need to speak a lot. Abandon brahmacharya. Satisfy your mother’s wish and show me my grandson’s face.’ Though the son requested him several times, the king did not ask for anything else. Hence, the son spoke again. ‘O father! According to the kimichchhaka vow, I have to give you and I face a great difficulty. I will therefore be shameless and accept a wife again. In the sight of a woman, I have been defeated and have been brought down on the ground. O father! It is extremely difficult to become that woman’s husband. Nevertheless, what can I do? I am bound by the noose of being true to my pledge. I will act according to what you have said. Enjoy the success of your command prevailing.’”’

  Chapter 123

  ‘Markandeya said, “On one occasion, the prince went out on a hunt in the forest. He pierced deer, wild boar, tigers and other tusked animals. Suddenly, he heard a woman’s voice screaming, ‘Save me! Save me!’ Because of fear, those repeated shrieks were uttered inarticulately. The prince exclaimed, ‘Do not be scared! Do not be frightened!’ He swiftly urged his horse in the direction from which the screams had come. In that desolate forest, the maiden continued to shriek. The proud lady had been firmly seized by Danu’s son, Dridhakesha. She said, ‘I am the wife of Avikshit, Karandhama’s son. An ignoble person is abducting me in this desolate forest. I am the wife of the intelligent son of Karandhama, the lord of the earth. All the lords of the earth, gandharvas and guhyakas are incapable of standing before him. 1008 His rage is like that of Death. His valour is like that of Shakra.’ Hearing this, with the bow and arrow in his hand, the son of the king thought. ‘What is this? How can my wife be in the forest? This is no doubt the maya of wicked rakshasas who reside in the forest. However, I will certainly go there and find out the reason.’ He quickly went there and saw an extremely beautiful and desirable woman in the forest, adorned with all the ornaments. With a staff in his hand, Danu’s son, Dridhakesha, had seized her. She repeatedly shrieked in piteous tones, ‘Save me! Save me!’ He told her, ‘Do not be scared.’ He told him, ‘You have been killed. When Karandhama rules over the earth, who is this wicked
person who has polluted it? All the kings on earth have been humbled by his power.’ He arrived there, grasping that supreme bow. On seeing him, the slender-limbed one exclaimed, ‘Save me! I am being abducted dishonourably. I am King Karandhama’s daughter-in-law and Avikshit’s wife. Though I have a protector, I am being abducted by this wicked one in the forest, as if I have no protector.’ At this, Avikshit thought about the words that had been uttered. ‘How can she be my wife? How can she be my father’s daughter-in-law? In any event, I will free the slender-limbed one and find out later on. Kshatriyas wield weapons for the sake of saving those who are afflicted.’ Angry, the brave one spoke to that extremely evil-minded danava. ‘Release her and escape with your life. Otherwise, you will no longer exist.’ At this, releasing her, the danava raised his staff up high and rushed towards him. In turn, he covered him with showers of arrows. Full of great insolence, the danava warded off these floods of arrows and hurled the staff, studded with one hundred spikes, towards the prince. As it descended, the king’s son splintered it with his arrows. He 1009 seized a tree that was standing nearby. As he 1010 showered down arrows, he hurled the tree towards him. However, with broad-headed arrows released from his bow, he shattered this into fragments as small as sesamum. The danava hurled a boulder towards the prince. But he used his dexterity to step aside and baffle it and it fell down on the ground, useless. Whatever the angry danava hurled at him, the son of the king seemed to be playing as he severed it with his flood of arrows. His staff had been shattered and all his other weapons had also been severed. Therefore, he angrily raised his fists and rushed towards the prince. As he descended, Karandhama’s son severed his head with a vetasapatra 1011 and it fell down on the ground.

  ‘“When the evil-minded danava was slain, all the gods applauded with words of praise for Karandhama’s son. The gods told the prince, ‘Ask for a boon.’ Desiring to bring pleasure to his father, he said, ‘I ask for a son who will be exceedingly valiant.’ The gods replied, ‘O unblemished one! You will have an extremely strong son who will be a chakravarti, through the maiden whom you have freed.’ The prince said, ‘I am bound by the noose of a pledge to my father. Hence I want a son. Having been defeated by the kings, I had given up all desire to take a wife. That is the reason I rejected the daughter of King Vishala, though she desired me. For my sake, she has given up intercourse with any other man. Having rejected Vishala’s daughter, like a heartless person, how can I now marry another woman?’ The gods replied, ‘This is the wife whom you always praise. This is Vishala’s daughter. The one with the excellent eyebrows has resorted to austerities. Through her, you will have a brave son who will bring prosperity in the seven dvipas. This son of yours will perform one thousand sacrifices and will be a chakravarti.’ O brahmana! After telling Karandhama’s son this, the gods departed. He asked his wife, ‘O timid one! How did all this come about?’ She told him, ‘When I was rejected by you, I abandoned all my relatives and kin. I became non-attached and came to this forest. O brave one! I resorted to austerities and my body was almost completely wasted. I wished to give up my life, but a messenger of the gods arrived and restrained me. He said, ‘You will have an extremely strong son who will be a chakravarti. He will please the gods and slay the asuras.’ With this command from the gods, the messenger of the gods restrained me. Wishing to be united with you, I did not give up my life. O immensely fortunate one! Day before yesterday, I went to Gangahrada to have a bath. As I entered the water, I was dragged down by an aged naga. He took me to Rasatala. There, in front of me, there were thousands of nagas, wives of the nagas and young nagas. They approached and praised me. Others worshipped me. The nagas and their women humbly entreated me. ‘You must show all of us your favour. When we commit a crime, your son will be eager to kill us. At that time, restrain him. The nagas who subsist on air will commit an offence against your son. At that time, you must restrain him. Please show us this favour.’ When I said I agreed to this, they adorned me with divine ornaments from Patala and excellent flowers, fragrances and garments. I was then brought to his world by a naga who subsists on air. I was as captivating as before. I was as beautiful as before. Seeing my beauty and that I was adorned in all the ornaments, the evil-minded Dridhakesha seized me, wishing to abduct me. O prince! I have now been freed through the strength of your arms. O mighty-armed one! Therefore, be pleased with me. Accept me. In this world, there is no other prince who is your equal. I am telling you the truth.’”’

  Chapter 124

  ‘Markandeya said, “He heard her words. He also remembered the auspicious words his father, the king, had uttered in connection with the kimichchhaka pledge. Avikshit, the son of a king, replied to her. His mind was attached to the maiden who had cast aside all objects of pleasure for his sake. ‘O slender-limbed one! After I was defeated by the enemy, I rejected you. Having vanquished the enemy, I have now got you back. What will I do?’ The maiden replied, ‘In this charming forest, accept my hand. If a man and a woman desire each other, their union leads to good results.’ The prince said, ‘O fortunate one! Let it be that way. Perhaps destiny has been the instrument. Why else, after having been in different places, have we met now?’ O sage! At that time, a gandharva’s son arrived there, along with the best of apsaras and surrounded by the best of gandharvas. The gandharva said, ‘O Prince! This spirited one is my daughter and her name is Bhamini. Because of Agastya’s curse, she became Vishala’s daughter. When she was playing in a childish way, she angered Agastya and he cursed her, “You will become a woman.” 1012 We spoke to him and mollified him. “Please show us your favours. She is a child and could not discriminate. O brahmana rishi! You should pardon the offence and favour us.” The great sage said, “Because I knew she was a child, the curse was mild. There cannot be any violation of the curse I have imposed.” Cursed by Agastya, my beautiful daughter, named Bhamini, the possessor of excellent eyebrows, was born in Vishala’s house. I came here because of her. Accept this princess. You will have a son through my daughter and he will be a chakravarti.’ The son of a king agreed and accepted her hand. The rites were followed and Tumburu offered oblations into the fire. The gods and the gandharvas sang, while large numbers of apsaras danced. Flowers were showered down from the clouds and the musical instruments of the gods were sounded. All of them assembled at her marriage with the prince. She would give birth to a son who would save the entire world and be the agent for prosperity. O sage! With her and the great-souled son of a king, all of them went to the world of the gandharvas. Bhamini pleasured herself with Avikshit, the son of a king. With her, he obtained objects of pleasure and prosperity there. Sometimes, they amused themselves in extremely charming groves in the city. Sometimes, he sported with her on smaller hills and sometimes along the banks of rivers, decorated with swans and cranes. Sometimes, near the residence, they were in an extremely beautiful mansion. Sometimes, night and day, they found pleasure in other beautiful spots. The great-souled one amused himself with the slender-limbed one. The sages, gandharvas and kinnaras brought them food, unguents, garlands, garments, drinks and other excellent items.

  ‘“While the brave one pleasured with Bhamini in that extremely inaccessible world of the gandharvas, the beautiful lady gave birth to a son. When that extremely valiant one was born, the gandharvas arranged for great festivities. They could perceive the tasks that would be accomplished through this tiger among men. Some sang. Others played on drums, kettledrums and two-sided drums. Others played on flutes, veenas and other musical instruments. Large numbers of apsaras danced there. The clouds showered down flowers and rumbled with a gentle sound. While this tumult was going on, the sage Tumburu was affectionately remembered. He arrived and performed the jatakarma rites. All the gods assembled and all the sparkling divine rishis. The Indras among the nagas came from Patala—Shesha, Vasuki and Takshaka. O supreme among brahmanas! The foremost among the gods and the asuras came. So did the yakshas, the guhyakas and all the different kinds of wind. 1013 All the rishis, gods, danavas, pan
nagas and sages from different lineages came to the great city of the gandharvas. Tumburu performed the jatakarma and other rites. This having been done, he pronounced the benedictions for the child. ‘May you become an extremely valiant, mighty-armed and immensely strong chakravarti. May you rule over the earth for an extremely long period of time. O brave one! May Shakra and all the other guardians of the world and the rishis pronounce benedictions for you. May your valour destroy the enemy. May the eastern Marut 1014 blow auspiciously for you, so that there is no dust before you. May the southern Marut blow constantly and not cause any hardships. May the western Marut confer excellent valour on you. May the northern Marut give you the best of strength.’ After these benedications, an invisible voice spoke. ‘As the preceptor has said, there will be many Maruts for you. Therefore, on earth, he will be famous by the name of Marutta. All the kings on earth will be subservient to his commands. This brave one will be at the head of all the lords of earth. He will be immensely valiant and will be a chakravarti on earth, with its seven dvipas. Having attacked the kings, he will enjoy the earth without any impediments. He will be foremost among all the kings who perform sacrifices. He will surpass all the kings in his prowess and valour.’ Everyone heard these words, spoken on behalf of the residents of heaven. The brahmanas, the gandharvas and the mother and the father were satisfied.”’