Markandeya Purana (Study)
by Chandamita Bhattacharya | 2021 | 67,501 words
This page relates 鈥楧ivisions of Ashrama (b): Garhasthya鈥� of the study on the Markandeya Purana, one of the oldest of the eigtheen Mahapuranas preserving the history, civilisation, culture and traditions of ancient India. The Markandeyapurana commences with the questions raised by Rishi Jaimini (a pupil of Vyasa), who approaches the sage Markandeya with doubts related to the Mahabharata. This study examines various social topics such as the status of women, modes of worship, yoga, etc.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Divisions of 膧艣谤补尘补 (b): 骋腻谤丑补蝉迟丑测补
After completing the first stage, the student enters into the second stage i.e. 骋腻谤丑补蝉迟丑测补-腻艣谤补尘补 which indicates the life of a house holder. It was essential for all the individuals to have the household life. In the 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 more importance was given to this 膧艣谤补尘补.[1] According to the 蝉尘峁泃颈蝉 the household life is the best of the four 膧艣谤补尘补s.[2] At the convocation ceremony of the first stage the teacher instructs his pupils to resort to the life of a house holder where the people have many duties to be performed.[3] Some special duties have been allotted in different 艣补蝉迟谤补蝉 for the householder to perform. The true dharma of a house-holder is to live with what he gets by doing the duty allotted to him. A householder should serve the whole world with love and affection. He must give up, from his life, contempt for others, arrogance, nature, pride, roughness and injury to life.[4] The 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 says that the householders can cultivate virtue (dharma), wealth (artha), and worldly pleasure (办腻尘补) property.[5] In the 顿补办峁蝉尘峁泃颈, it is stated that g膩rhasthya-腻艣谤补尘补 stage of life is the best ground to cultivate the dharma, artha and 办腻尘补, provided the wife follows her husband.[6]
In the 惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 an account of the G膩rhasthy腻艣谤补尘补 has been presented through the conversation between 惭补诲腻濒补蝉补 and Alarka. Here, M膩dalasa describes the duty of human in g膩rhasthya-腻艣谤补尘补 that a man must nourish the Gods, 峁泂is and pitrs and men and living beings daily even as his own body to make them pleased. Having bathed and become cleaned he should please the Gods r峁s, 辫颈迟峁泂 and 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈 with water in due time. Then he should worship the Gods with flowers.[7] After that he should please Agni offering bali. In this context some rules regarding the offering of bali have been mentioned. Accordingly, offering of bali to 叠谤补丑尘腻 and too 痴颈艣惫补诲别惫补蝉 should be inside the house. Offering of bali to Dhanvantari, Indra, Yama, 痴补谤耻峁嘺 and Soma to be casted to the northeast, to eastwards, to southwards, to westwards and to northwards respectively.[8] After that he should also offer bali to 顿丑腻迟峁�, Vidhat峁�, Aryaman, night-walking goblins and the 辫颈迟峁泂. Then he should take water and cast it into the places of several deities for rinsing their mouths.[9] Next to that he should perform the utsarga oblation for the nourishment of leaving beings like dogs, low-caste man and birds, in the morning and the evening which is called the 痴补颈艣惫补诲别惫补 bali.[10] Then he should wait some time (eight parts of 尘耻丑奴谤迟补) for the coming of the guest and after the arrival of some guest he should honour him with rice, other food, water, fragrant flowers and other presents according to his power.[11] Here the meaning and characteristics of an atithi are also mentioned. The significance of the term atithi has been presented as: 补苍颈迟测补峁� hi sthito yasm膩ttasm膩datithirucyate /[12] signifying that as he stays but for a transitory time he is, therefore, called an atithi, a guest. One should not ask the guest his genealogy or conduct or private study and should esteem him as Prajapati.[13]
In this context the benefit of hospitality has been mentioned. Accordingly, when the atithi is satisfied then the 驳峁沨补蝉迟丑补 is released from the debt or sin of unhospitality. Otherwise i.e. in eating without giving to the guest incurs only sin and feeds on ordure in another life.[14] Again, the result of non-hospitality to a guest is very harmful.[15] It has been stated that if the guest of someone have to return with broken hopes then he takes the merit of the 驳峁沨补蝉迟丑补 and transfer his misdeeds to him. So one should honour a guest respectfully according to his power by giving water, vegetables or just what he is himself eating.[16] He should eat after he has shown reverence to guests, friends, paternal kinsmen, relatives, petitioners, children, old men and the sick.
The house holders should perform daily five sacred rites called 辫补帽肠补尘补丑腻测补箩帽补蝉, viz. 顿别惫补测补箩帽补, 笔颈迟峁泍补箩帽补, 叠丑奴迟补测补箩帽补, 惭补苍耻峁补测补箩帽补 or 狈峁泍补箩帽补 and 叠谤补丑尘补测补箩帽补.[17] A householder should gain money by his own toil, duly please the 辫颈迟峁泂, Gods and guests by faith, and nourish his dependants, children, female relatives, the afflicted, the blind, the outcast, the birds and the cattle[18] And also feed a hunger.[19] It is also said that the 辫颈迟峁泂, munis, Gods, living things, mankinds, worms, insects, flying creatures, birds, cattle and asuras are subsist upon the 驳峁沨补蝉迟丑补 and derive satisfaction from him.[20] After the bath and purification, the house holder, composed in mind, delight the Gods, 峁涐梗is, 辫颈迟峁泂 and 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈 at the proper time with water, jasmine flowers.[21] And next he should delight Agni and also perform the 痴颈艣惫补诲别惫补蝉鈥� ceremony inside the house.[22] The householder should make alms before his eating, he should offer reverence to guests, friends, paternal kinsmen, relatives and petitioners, children, old men and the sick person.[23] When 痴颈诲丑腻迟峁�, Gods, 辫颈迟峁泂, 峁涐梗is, guests, relatives, herds of cattle, flocks of birds and the minute insects are satisfied all of them shower bliss on the house holder. If someone becomes dispirited reaching a prosperous kinsman then the householder gets the sin that has been done by the dispirited man.[24] By nourishing this entire world, the householder conquers desired worlds.[25] By worshipping the gods, manes, 峁涐梗is and guests the house holder gains the heavenly world.[26] The duties of a householder is to earn money honestly and serve his ancestors, Gods and guests.[27]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
sarvv膩艣ram膩nup膩d膩ya sv膩艣rame峁嘺 kalatrav膩n /
vyasan膩r峁嘺vamattyeti jalay膩nairiv膩r峁嘺vam // 叠丑补驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 3.14.16
[2]:
顿补办峁蝉尘峁泃颈, 4.1; 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓峁环补蝉尘峁泃颈, 2.31; 痴别诲补惫测腻蝉补蝉尘峁泃颈, 4.2
[3]:
[4]:
agnayo鈥檛ithi艣u艣r奴峁Ｄ� yaj帽o 诲腻苍补峁� sur膩rcanam /
驳峁沨补蝉迟丑补sya sam膩sena dharmo鈥檡a峁� munipu峁単av膩岣� // 碍奴谤尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 2.42-43; 叠谤补丑尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 222.28-34; 痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 3.9.14-16; 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 3.2.6; 惭补苍耻蝉尘峁泃颈, 3.77
[5]:
产丑补诲谤补峁� 诲惫颈箩补驳补惫腻峁� brahman dharmasy膩sya janasya ca /
trivargasya 辫补谤补峁� 办峁迟谤补峁� 驳峁沨补尘别诲丑颈苍 g峁沨膩 ime // 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 8.16.11
[6]:
顿补办峁蝉尘峁泃颈, 4.1-2
[7]:
惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 26.16-17
[8]:
Ibid., 26.18-20
[9]:
Ibid., 26.23
[10]:
Ibid., 26.25
[11]:
Ibid., 26.26-27
[12]:
Ibid., 26.31 a
[13]:
Ibid., 26.28-29
[14]:
Ibid., 26.32
[15]:
atithiryasya bhagn膩艣o g峁沨膩tpratinivartate /
sa datv膩 du峁rta峁� tasmai pu峁噛am膩d膩ya gacchati // Ibid., 26.33
[16]:
Ibid., 26.34
[17]:
惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,25.21; 艢补迟补辫补迟丑补产谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, 11.5.6.1; 罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测腻谤补峁噛补办补, 2.10
[18]:
惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 25.19-20
[19]:
Ibid., 26.40
[20]:
Ibid., 26.4-5
[21]:
Ibid., 26.16
[22]:
Ibid., 26.17
[23]:
Ibid., 26.39
[24]:
Ibid., 26.41,43-44
[25]:
Ibid., 26.3
[26]:
Ibid., 92.4
[27]:
Ibid., 26.22