Markandeyapurana 50
English (machine translation) 50
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Contents
50.1
Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then, as he meditated, mind-born offspring were born to him, / together with effects and causes arisen from his body.
50.2
The knowers of the field arose from the limbs of that wise one; / all those arose who were previously spoken of by me,
50.3
from the gods down to immovable things, recorded as subject to the three qualities. / In this way the moving and unmoving beings were created.
50.4
When all these offspring of that wise one did not multiply, / he then created other mind-born sons equal to himself:
50.5
Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and Aṅgiras, / Marīci, Dakṣa, Atri, and mind-born Vasiṣṭha.
50.6
These nine are determined in the Purāṇa to be Brahmās. / Then Brahmā again created Rudra, born of his anger,
50.7
and Saṅkalpa, and Dharma, elder even than the earlier ones; / and those such as Sanandana who were previously created by the Self-born,
50.8
they did not cling to the worlds, indifferent, collected in mind; / all possessed knowledge of the future, free from passion, and devoid of envy.
50.9
While they were thus indifferent to the creation of worlds, / a great anger arose in the great-souled Brahmā, and there was born one resembling the sun,
50.10
a man whose form was half-woman and half-man, possessing an immense body. / Having said, ‘Divide yourself!’, he then disappeared.
50.11
Being thus addressed, he made the female nature and the male nature separate; / and he divided the male nature into ten and into one.
50.12
With gentle and ungentle, as well as peaceful [forms], that lord, / the god, divided the male and female into many forms with dark and fair persons.
50.13
Then the lord, the protector of creatures, having made Manu Svāyambhuva, / who had sprung from Brahmā’s own self, equal to himself, O twice-born,
50.14
the divine and all-pervading Manu Svāyambhuva took as his wife / that woman Śatarūpā, whose sins were shaken off by ascetic penance.
50.15
And from that man Śatarūpā bore two sons, / Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, renowned for their own deeds,
50.16
and also two daughters, Ṛddhi and Prasūti; then the father / gave Prasūti to Dakṣa, and formerly Ṛddhi to Ruci.
50.17
Prajāpati [Ruci] received her; from the two was born a son, / Yajña, accompanied by Dakṣiṇā, O fortunate one; then a married couple was born.
50.18
To Yajña, from Dakṣiṇā, twelve sons were born, / who were celebrated as the Yāma gods in the Svāyambhuva interval.
50.19
Those luminous ones were the sons of Yajña from Dakṣiṇā. / And then Dakṣa, upon Prasūti, / begot twenty-four daughters;
50.20
hear from me their proper names: / Śraddhā, Lakṣmī, Dhṛti, Tuṣṭi, Puṣṭi, Medhā, and Kriyā,
50.21
Buddhi, Lajjā, Vapuṣ, Śānti, Siddhi, and Kīrti as the thirteenth. / Lord Dharma took these daughters of Dakṣa to be his wives.
50.22
The eleven fair-eyed daughters younger than these were left: / Khyāti, Satī, and Sambhūti, Smṛti, Prīti, and Kṣamā,
50.23
Santati, Anasūyā, Ūrjā, Svāhā, and Svadhā. / Bhṛgu, Bhava, Marīci, and the sage Aṅgiras,
50.24
Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu, the seers, / Vasiṣṭha, Atri, Vahni, and the Ancestors, in order,
50.25
the sages, the best of sages, took the daughters beginning with Khyāti. / Śraddhā bore Kāma; Śrī [bore] Darpa; Dhṛti bore her son Niyama;
50.26
Tuṣṭi bore Santoṣa; Puṣṭi brought forth Lobha; / Medhā [bore] Śruta; Kriyā [bore] Daṇḍa, Naya, and Vinaya;
50.27
Buddhi bore Bodha; Lajjā bore Vinaya; Vapuṣ bore her son / Vyavasāya; Śānti gave birth to Kṣema;
50.28
Siddhi bore Sukha; and Kīrti bore Yaśas. These are the origins from Dharma. / From Kāma was born Harṣa, giving extreme joy, the grandson of Dharma.
50.29
Hiṃsā was the wife of Adharma; upon her Anṛta was born, / and a daughter, Nirṛti; upon her two sons, Naraka and Bhaya,
50.30
and Māyā and Vedanā: two pairs [born] of these two. / Then from those two, Māyā bore Mṛtyu, the snatcher of creatures,
50.31
and Vedanā bore her own son Duḥkha from Raurava. / From Mṛtyu were born Disease, Old Age, Grief, Thirst, and Anger.
50_2
These, arisen from suffering, are remembered as having the characteristics of adharma. / They have neither wife nor son; indeed, all of them have upward-drawn seed.
50.33
And another Nirṛti, named Alakṣmī, became the wife of Mṛtyu, O sage; / and upon her, fourteen sons were born to Mṛtyu.
50.34
These sons of Alakṣmī are the executors of Mṛtyu's commands; / they fall upon men at the times of destruction; hear of them.
50.35
Dwelling in the ten sense-organs and also in the mind, / they attach a man or a woman to their respective objects.
50.36
Then, having overcome the sense-organs through passion, anger, and the like, / they so attach men that they go to ruin through unrighteousness and the rest, O twice-born.
50.37
Another is situated in the ego, and another in the intellect; / resorting to delusion, men strive for the destruction of women.
50.38
Likewise another in the house of men is famous as Duḥsaha: / emaciated with hunger, face downward, naked, clothed in rags, with a voice like a crow;
50.39
he was created by Brahmā to devour all, a storehouse of darkness, / exceedingly terrible with dreadful fangs and wide-open mouth.
50.40
To him who wished to eat, Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds, / consisting of all brahman, pure, the imperishable cause of the universe, said this:
50.40.p1
Brahmā said:
50.41
“This world must not be eaten by you. Subdue your anger, go to tranquility! / Cast off this dark nature, discarding any portion of passion!”
50.42
Duḥsaha said: / “I am emaciated with hunger, O Lord of the world, and also thirsty and weak. / How may I attain satisfaction, O Lord? How may I become strong? / And tell me: what is my refuge, where I may dwell in peace?”
50.42.p1
Brahmā said:
50.43
“Your refuge is the home of men, and unrighteous people are your strength; / you will attain nourishment, my child, through the neglect of daily rituals.
50.44
Ripped-off rags are your clothing, and I assign your food to you: / what is damaged, infested with insects, and likewise gazed upon by a dog;
50.45
similarly, what has fallen from a broken vessel, what is cooled by breath from the mouth, / the leavings of food, what is undercooked, excessively steamed, licked, or unconsecrated;
50.46
what is eaten by those seated on a broken seat, what is brought at untimely moments, / facing an intermediate direction, at the two twilights, or disturbed by the sound of dancing and musical instruments;
50.47
what is defiled by a menstruating woman, what is eaten or merely looked upon by a menstruating woman, / and whatever food or drink has been struck by impurity.
50.48
These are for your nourishment, and I give you another share as well: / what is offered in the fire or given without faith, or given with contempt by those who have not bathed;
50.49
what is thrown down without pouring water first, what is done uselessly, / what is brought out merely to be discarded, and what is given out of excessive arrogance;
50.50
what is corrupt, and what is given in anger or distress—O Yakṣa, that fruit belongs to your share! / And whatever other-worldly rite a son of a remarried woman performs,
50.51
and whatever [belongs to] a remarried woman, O Yakṣa, that is for your satisfaction. / When one engages in business transactions to pay the bride-price for a maiden,
50.52
likewise the practices of false scriptures—they are for your nourishment, O Yakṣa! / And whatever is accomplished solely for money, or what is studied deceitfully,
50.53
all that is yours, and I give you specific times for your success: / intercourse with a pregnant woman, neglect of the daily duties at twilight,
50.54
and among those corrupted by discourses and practices of false scriptures, O Duḥsaha, / you will always have the power to overcome men.
50.55
Where there is discrimination in dinner lines, cooking in vain, and separation of meals in the rite, / and where there is constant domestic strife, your dwelling will be.
50.56
Likewise, when servants, cattle, draught animals, and the like are left unfed, / and at the time when a house is unwashed at twilight, men will fear you.
50.57
During afflictions caused by asterisms and planets, and upon the appearance of the threefold portents, / you shall overpower men who do not perform rites of appeasement, O Yakṣa!
50.58
Mortal men who fast in vain, who are constantly addicted to gambling and women, / who converse with you, and those who adopt the hypocritical conduct of a cat;
50.59
what is studied by one who is not a celibate student, sacrifice performed by an ignorant man, / the actions of those in penance-groves who eat village food, and likewise of those who have not truly renounced worldly desires;
50.60
the striving directed toward the other world by brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, / and śūdras who have fallen from their own prescribed duties—
50.61
all the fruit of that will be yours, O Yakṣa! / And I grant you another thing for your nourishment; listen to that:
50.62
at the conclusion of the Vaiśvadeva rite, uttering your name first, / they will offer you a hearty offering, saying: ‘This is for you!’
50.63
He who eats food properly consecrated, pure within and without according to rule, / free from greed, and master over women—avoid his house!
50.64
Where gods and ancestors are worshipped with sacrificial food and funeral cakes, / as well as sisters and guests, O Yakṣa, shun that house!
50.65
In a house where there is friendship toward children, the aged, women, and men, / and likewise toward the circle of kinsfolk—shun that house as well!
50.66
Where women are chaste, not eager to go outdoors, / and always endowed with modesty, O Yakṣa, completely avoid that house!
50.67
Where beds and meals are suitable according to age and relationship / in the home, O Yakṣa, that must be avoided by my command.
50.68
Where people are ever compassionate, established in good deeds, / and endowed with ordinary household utensils, O Yakṣa, leave that home!
50.69
A house where people do not remain seated while teachers, the elderly, / and twice-born men are standing—that house must always be shunned by you, O Yakṣa!
50.70
The house whose door is not pierced by trees, shrubs, and the like, / nor has vulnerability for a man, is an auspicious dwelling, not for you.
50_3
Leave the house of that man who maintains gods, ancestors, servants, / and guests, living upon the food that remains [after they have eaten].
50.72
Men who speak the truth, who are patient, harmless, free from grief, / and devoid of malice—such men, O Yakṣa, you should avoid!
50.73
Leave alone the woman who is devoted to serving her husband, avoids the company of wicked women, / and is nourished by the food left by the family and her husband.
50.74
Shun the twice-born man whose mind is ever intent on sacrificing, studying, practicing rites, and giving gifts, / and whose livelihood is made by officiating at sacrifices, teaching, and receiving gifts.
50.75
O Duḥsaha, shun the kṣatriya who is ever intent on charity, study, and sacrifices, / whose revenue comes from lawful taxes and the livelihood of weapons.
50.76
Shun the faultless vaiśya endowed with the three former qualities, / who derives his livelihood from cattle-rearing, trade, and agriculture.
50.77
Completely shun, O Yakṣa, the śūdra devoted to giving, sacrifice, and service to the twice-born, / who supports himself through the livelihood of service to brahmins and others.
50.78
Where the householder in the home conducts his life without contradiction to the Vedas and traditional laws, / and where his wife is devoted to him in heart;
50.79
where a son pays reverence to his teacher, to the gods, and to his father, / and a wife serves her husband—whence can there be fear of misfortune there?
50.80
A house constantly smeared [with cow dung], sprinkled with water at the twilights, / and where offerings of flowers have been made—O Yakṣa, you cannot even look upon it!
50.81
Houses where beds are unseen by the sun, where fire and water are constant, / and lamps are seen at sunrise are the vessels of prosperity.
50.82
Where there is an ox, sandalwood, a lute, a mirror, honey, and ghee, / poison, clarified butter, and copper vessels—that house is not your refuge.
50.83
Where there are thorny trees, where there is a bean creeper, / a remarried wife, or an anthill—that, O Yakṣa, is your abode.
50.84
In which house there are five men, three women, and as many cows, / and darkness, fuel, and fire [are neglected]—that house is your dwelling.
50.85
A house with one goat, two donkeys, three cattle, five buffaloes, / six horses, and seven elephants—O Yakṣa, quickly drain it dry!
50.86
A spade, a sickle, a basket, and likewise vessels such as cooking pots / thrown about haphazardly—these will provide you shelter.
50.87
Women sitting upon the pestle or mortar, or likewise on the threshold, / and taking counsel at a rubbish heap—O Yakṣa, this is beneficial to you.”
50.88
Where grains, cooked and uncooked, are stepped over in a house, / and likewise sacred texts—there roam at will, Duḥsaha!
50.89
In a house where fire is placed on the lid of a cooking pot or on the blade of a ladle, / there is the abode of all ill omens.
50.90
In a house where human bone remains day and night, / there is your dwelling, O yakṣa, and that of the other rākṣasas as well.
50.91
Those who eat without having offered funeral cakes and water for a relative— / attach yourself to those men at that time, and to their sapindas and sodakas.
50.92
Where the lotuses Padma and Mahāpadma, the divine cow Surabhi, Mokāśinī, / and the bulls and Airāvata are fashioned—abandon that house.
50.93
Where weapons-free deities are fashioned by men, and deities with weapons without battle, / and are worshipped—abandon that temple.
50.94
Where celebrated great festivals of old are celebrated as before / by citizens and countrymen in a home—do not roam in that house.
50.95
Go after those destitute of auspicious marks, who are struck by the wind of a winnowing fan, / water from a jar, drops of water from clothes, or water from the tips of fingernails.
50.96
Local customs, conventions, the dharma of kin, / recitation, oblation, auspicious rites, sacrifices to deities, / proper purification in accordance with rule, and traditional teachings— / may you have no association with a man who performs these!
50.97
Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Having spoken thus to Duḥsaha, Brahmā vanished right there; / and he too followed the command of the lotus-born.
50.97.p1
Thus ends the fiftieth chapter in the holy Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, named 'Instruction of the Yakṣa'.
50.97.p2
Fifty-first chapter - 51
Translations (1)
- The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa — Frederick Eden Pargiter 1888, English
Linked texts (1)
- Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit