Markandeya Purana
by Frederick Eden Pargiter | 1904 | 247,181 words | ISBN-10: 8171102237
This page relates 鈥渢he guide to the genealogies鈥� which forms the 111th chapter of the English translation of the Markandeya-purana: an ancient Sanskrit text dealing with Indian history, philosophy and traditions. It consists of 137 parts narrated by sage (rishi) Markandeya: a well-known character in the ancient Puranas. Chapter 111 is included the section known as 鈥渃onversation between Markandeya and Kraustuki鈥�.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Canto CXI - The guide to the genealogies
Manu had seven sons, whose names are mentioned鈥攁nd also a child, who was born as a daughter named Il膩, and afterwards became a man by name Sudyumna鈥擳his child as Il膩 had a son 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉, who reigned at 笔谤补迟颈峁ａ弓丑腻苍补, and as Sudyumna had three sons.
M膩rka峁囜笉eya spoke:
Such power has the adorable Sun, who is without beginning and without end, concerning whose majesty thou, O 碍谤补耻峁ａ弓耻办颈, dost ask me in faith. He is the Supreme Soul among religious devotees who meditate deeply on the dissolution of their intellects;[1] he is the Conscious Soul among those who apply the 厂腻峁卥丑测补 doctrine to the knowledge of spirit; and he is the Lord of sacrifice among those who are sacrificers:[2] while 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, 艢颈惫补 and B'rahm膩 each supports the Sun鈥檚 supremacy.
Manu was his son, a solver of doubts in all matters, the ruler of a manvantara, whose is the seventh period, O brahman.
滨办峁腻办耻, N膩bhaga and 搁颈峁ａ弓补鈥攚ho were great in strength and prowess鈥攁nd 狈补谤颈峁补苍迟补, 狈腻产丑腻驳补, P奴峁dhra and 顿丑峁涐梗峁璦;[3] these were that Manu鈥檚 sons, each the guardian of a separate kingdom. All were celebrated in fame, all had the utmost skill in arms and weapons.
Seeking yet again for a son who should he more distinguished, Manu, best of the skilful ones, offered a sacrifice to Mitra and 痴补谤耻峁嘺; in which sacrifice moreover when the offering was perversely made through the improper conduct[4] of the priest, O great muni, a daughter was born to Manu named Il膩, slender of waist. On seeing that daughter born there, Manu offered praise to Mitra and 痴补谤耻峁嘺 then and spoke this word, 鈥斺�淲hen I made made the sacrifice with the prayer, 鈥楾hrough your favour may I obtain a distinguished son,鈥� a daughter was born to me who am wise. If ye being gracious grant me a boon, then let this my daughter, through the favour of you both, become a son endowed with surpassing virtues!鈥� And when these two gods in sooth said, 鈥淏e it so!鈥� that same daughter Il膩 became forthwith a son famed by the name Sudyumna.
And afterwards that wise son of Manu, while roving the forest a-hunting, was turned into a woman through the wrath of the god;[5] in which condition Soma鈥檚 son Budha begat of her a son named Pururavas,[6] who was a mighty universal monarch. When that son was born, Sudyumna again performed a great horse-sacrifice and regained a man鈥檚 nature and became a king.
Sudyumna during his manhood had three sons, Utkala,[7] Vinaya[8] and Gaya,[9] who were most valiant, given to sacrificing, great in bodily strength. Now those three sons, who were born to him during his manhood, enjoyed this earth[10] while governing their minds in righteousness.
But 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉, who was horn of that monarch Sudyumna 18 during his womanhood, got no share of the earth, because he was Budh膩s son. Thereupon at 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补鈥檚 word 笔谤补迟颈峁ａ弓丑腻苍补,[11] an excellent city, was given to him; he became king in that exceedingly charming city.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
This is the best meaning that I can get out of the text鈥� Param膩tm膩 sa yog墨n膩峁� yu帽jat膩峁� cetas膩峁� layam, which is the reading in the Calcutta, Bombay, and Poona editions, though the last in its corrigenda alters it to 测辞驳腻苍腻峁�, and then sa yog膩n膩m must be read as one word 蝉补-测辞驳腻苍腻尘. But the text is no doubt corrupt; 测辞驳墨苍腻尘 should be 测辞驳颈苍腻尘, and 测耻帽箩补迟腻尘 should perhaps be 测耻帽箩腻苍腻苍腻尘, though both Parasmai-pada and 膧tmane-pada have the meaning 鈥渢o meditate deeply.鈥� Mah膩mahop膩dhy膩ya Hara Pras膩d 艢膩str墨 suggests also that 濒补测补岣� would be better than layam and would translate thus, 鈥淗e is the Supreme Soul to those who are successful in meditation [i.e., the Ved膩ntists]; he is that in which the minds of those who are engaged in meditation, tat who are not yet successful, are absorbed鈥� [i.e., the Sagu峁嘺 Brahman of the Ved膩ntists].
[2]:
Yaj帽e艣o yajvin膩m. api; but 测补箩惫补苍腻尘 must be read for 测补箩惫颈苍腻尘, and Mah膩mahop膩dhy膩ya Hara Prasad 艢膩str墨 gives it the meaning 鈥渢o those who consider sacrifices to be the means leading to beatitude鈥� [i.e., the M墨m膩峁僺ists].鈥�
[3]:
Only seven sons are mentioned here. The number is generally given as ten. There is much diversity regarding the names of all of them except 滨办峁腻办耻, 狈补谤颈峁补苍迟补, and 顿丑峁涐梗峁璦. Other names omitted are 艢ary膩ti, Kar奴峁, Vena, and Pr膩峁兣泆. See Wilson鈥檚 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 Pur膩峁嘺, book IV, chapter i, notes. The second and third names N膩bhaga and 搁颈峁ａ弓补 are sometimes given as a single name, 狈腻产丑腻驳补di峁ａ弓a in the Veda and N膩bh膩nedi峁ａ弓ha in the Aitareya Br膩hma峁嘺; and the last-named book says鈥攈e was given to sacred study, his brothers deprived him of his share in the paternal property, and referred him to their father, and by his father鈥檚 advice he helped the A峁単irasas in their sacrificial session and obtained great wealth (V. ii. 14).
[4]:
For 肠腻辫补丑峁泃别 read 肠腻辫补丑耻迟别, as in the Poona edition. The verb apa-hu is not in the dictionary. The Poona commentary explains apahute apac膩r膩t by vipar墨ta-havane vyatyay膩t.
[5]:
The Hariva峁兣沘 narrates only one change, namely, from womanhood (after she had given birth to 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉) to manhood (x. 615-37).
[6]:
Properly 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉, as in verse 17.
[7]:
From whom were descended the Utkalas, see note * on canto lvii, verse 43, and also verse 53, pp. 327 and 341 ante; all the authorities agree about this.
[8]:
He is also called Vinata, Vinat膩艣va, and Harit膩sva by different authorities. He was king of the East according to the Matsya Pur膩峁嘺., and king of the West according to the Hariva峁兣沘 (x. 631-2) and V膩yu Pur膩峁嘺.
[9]:
He gave his name to the city Gay膩, as all the authorities agree; and he was king of the East as the Hariva峁兣沘 says (x. 631-2).
[10]:
The Bh膩gavata Pur膩峁嘺 says wrongly all three sons were rulers of the South, 顿耻办峁峁嚹乸补迟丑补.
[11]:
Manu gave this city to Sudyumna who was excluded from the paternal dominions because he had been a female, and Sudyumna gave it to 笔耻谤奴谤补惫补蝉. It was situated on the north bank of the Ganges at its junction with the Yamun膩 (Hari-Va峁兣沘, xxvi. 1371 and 1411-2).