Markandeyapurana 26
English (machine translation) 26
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Contents
26.1
Jaḍa said:
As the son grew day by day, the king's wife
brought him to enlightenment, which is free from possessiveness, by means of lullabies and the like.
26.2
Even as he gained strength, and as he acquired his father’s intellect,
so too did he attain self-knowledge from his mother's words.
26.3
Thus enlightened by her from his very birth,
the wise, unpossessive son set his mind not upon householdership.
26.4
A second son was born to her; the father named him.
When he said, “This one is Subāhu,” Madālasā laughed.
26.5
To that child too she spoke from his infancy as before, through lullabies and the like;
and he also, great in intellect, attained enlightenment in the same way.
26.6
When a third son was born, the king named him Śatrumardana;
at that, the fair-browed lady laughed heartily once again.
26.7
He too, enlightened from infancy in the very same way by the slender-limbed lady,
performed actions desireless, without performing any [worldly] duty.
26.8
Then, as the king wished to name the fourth son,
he saw the well-behaved Madālasā smiling faintly.
Filled with some curiosity, the king spoke to her as she was laughing:
26.8.p1
The king said:
26.9
“Tell me the reason for your laughter whenever a name is being given:
Vikrānta, Subāhu, and likewise the other, Śatrumardana.
26.10
I consider these names that I have given to be indeed splendid,
suitable for members of the warrior class and full of heroic pride.
26.11
If you hold in your mind, gentle lady, that these are unsuitable,
then let a name be given to this fourth son of mine [by you].”
26.12
Madālasā said:
“Your command must be carried out by me, great king, as you have spoken to me;
I shall therefore give a name to this fourth son of yours.
26.13
He shall attain renown in the world as Alarka, knower of dharma;
this youngest son of yours will be wise.”
26.14
Hearing that meaningless name, Alarka,
given to the son by his mother, the king laughed and then spoke this:
26.14.p1
The king said:
26.15
“Fair lady, why has such an incoherent name been given
by you to my son? What is the meaning of this, Madālasā?”
26.15.p1
Madālasā said:
26.16
“This is a mental construct made for conventional usage, great king.
Hear also the meaninglessness of the names given by you, O king!
26.17
For wise men call the person all-pervading;
and ‘striding’ is defined as motion from one place to another.
26.18
Since the master of the body is omnipresent and all-pervading, he does not move;
therefore, this designation ‘Vikrānta’ [‘one who strides/courageous’] is considered meaningless by me.
26.19
The name ‘Subāhu’ [‘one with good arms’] which was given to your other son
is also meaningless, O king, because the person is formless.
26.20
As for the name ‘Arimardana’ [‘destroyer of foes’] given to the third son,
I consider that too to be incoherent; hear also the reason for it.
26.21
When the person in all bodies is only one,
then, O king, who is considered an enemy here, or who a friend?
26.22
Gross elements are crushed by gross elements; how can that which is formless be crushed?
Because anger and the rest are separate [from the Self], this conception is meaningless.”
26.23
If a non-existent name is conceived for conventional usage, / why do you consider that the name called Alarka is meaningless?
26.24
Jaḍa said: / Thus addressed properly by that queen, the lord of the earth, / possessing great intellect, said "So be it" to his beloved who spoke the truth.
26.25
And just as she had instructed her previous sons, that fair-browed woman / imparted knowledge to this son also; then the king said to her:
26.26
"Why are you doing this, foolish woman, to destroy my lineage, / by imparting perverse understanding as before to my sons?
26.27
If you wish to do what pleases me, if my word is to be accepted, / then direct this son onto the path of worldly engagement.
26.28
O queen, the path of action will not be destroyed in this manner; / nor, O virtuous woman, will the offering of funerary cakes to the ancestors cease.
26.29
Ancestors residing in the world of the gods, or those who have entered animal birth, / and likewise those who have attained human status or dwell among the hosts of spirits,
26.30
both the meritorious and the non-meritorious, emaciated with hunger and overcome with thirst, / a man established in ritual action [sustains] by offering funerary cakes and water.
26.31
are always nourished, O fair-browed one, as are gods and guests. / By gods, humans, ancestors, spirits of the dead, beings together with Guhyakas,
26.32
by birds, worms, and insects, man alone is lived upon. / Therefore, slender-limbed woman, [teach] this son what ought to be done by those born of the kṣatriya class."
26.33
which yields fruit in this world and in the next!
26.34
The inert one said: / Addressed thus by her husband, that excellent woman Madālasā / spoke playfully, singing to her son named Alarka:
26.35
"Son, grow up! Delight the heart of my husband with your deeds, / for the benefit of friends and the destruction of foes!
26.36
You are fortunate, child, who, without a rival, / alone will protect the earth for a long time, my son! / From that protection may there be enjoyment of happiness; / and from dharma you will obtain the fruit, immortality!
26.37
You must gratify the brahmins on festival days; / you must fulfill the desires of your kinsmen; / you must contemplate what is beneficial for others in your heart; / you must turn your mind away from other men's wives!
26.38
Constantly please the gods with numerous sacrifices, / the twice-born and dependents with wealth, / women with peerless desires for a long time, / and you will satisfy your enemies in battles, O hero!
26.39
As a child, delight the hearts of your relatives; / as a youth, [the heart] of your guru by following his instructions; / as a young man, [the hearts] of women who adorn noble families; / and as an old man in the forest, O child, [the hearts] of forest-dwellers!
26.40
While ruling the kingdom, you should delight your friends; / while protecting the virtuous, my child, you should worship with sacrifices; / slaying the wicked and the enemies in the midst of battle, / you should go to death for the sake of cows and brahmins, O child!"
26.40.p1
Thus ends the twenty-sixth chapter, named 'Instruction of the Son', in the glorious Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa.
26.40.p2
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Translations (1)
- The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa — Frederick Eden Pargiter 1888, English
Linked texts (1)
- Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit