History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.233

v7.c90.233

The Kalpataru on mokṣa quotes about 120 verses from Mārkaṇḍeya on yoga, almost all of which are found in the printed text. It quotes on brahmacārikāṇḍa 9 verses, 12 on srāddha, 17 on niyatakāla, 19 on gṛhastha, 3 on rājadharma and one on vyavahāra. Aparārka quotes about 85 verses from the Mārkaṇḍeya of which 42 are on yoga and the rest on śrāddha, giving alms, hospitality, śuddhi &c. The Sm. C. quotes 15 verses from Mārkaṇḍeya on āhnika, 40 verses on śrāddha. Mārkaṇḍeya quotes several verses from Manu and Mahābhārata. Mārkaṇḍeya contains some long drawn out rūpakas as in 3.59-70 (where prajñā is said to be a fort-wall and the soul as king therein) and 35. 8-13 (ahamityankurotpannaḥ &c.) It contains the popular idea that for married women long stay with their relatives (in the family of birth) does not conduce to good reputation and that the desire of her relatives (by blood) is that a married woman should stay in her husband's house.¹⁴³² The Mārkaṇḍeya says that the root of all unhappiness is the idea that one is the owner (of this and that) and that bliss comes with the idea 'nothing is mine'.¹⁴³³ In chap. 160. 39 it refers to *lagna* and *horā*. It puts forward the doctrine of the Gītā that actions done without any desire for their reward do not tend to become chains binding down a man to saṃsāra. On the other hand, this Purāṇa narrates the story of Datta¹⁴³⁴ or Dattātreye who imparted instruction on yoga to Alarka (from chap. 16 ff), but who is represented as an avatāra of Viṣṇu given to drinking intoxicants, as fond of the company of women, as staying near a water reservoir constructed with wood and stones on the Sahya (16. 132) and is called Avadhūta (17. 3). In chap. 54 it is said (just as in Brahmāṇḍa cited above p. 895) that the country in the north ranges of Sahya and near the Godāvarī is the most charming in the world.