The birds said- ‘O Jaimini! This was the way, sage Markandeya had narrated the divine tales to Kraustuki. A person who either studies this Purana or listens to it achieves great accomplishment. All his desires are fulfilled and he enjoys a long life. He becomes free from all his sins….
Markandeya says- ‘When Dama came to know about his father’s death, he became extremely furious. Although he was very patient by nature but still the news of his father’s death made him restless. He thought- ‘Shame on me. Inspite of myself being alive, the wicked Vayushman had killed my father….
Markandeya says- ‘When the newly married couple Dama and Sumana returned to the capital, King Narishyant was extremely pleased. King Narishyant after knowing about the brave deeds of his son was very proud of him. As he had become old, he appointed Dama as his successor and he went in…
Markandeya says- Dama was the son of Narishyant. His mother was Indrasena- the daughter of Babhru. He became the master in archery under the tutelage of Vrishparva. He also learnt the nuances of handling other kinds of weapons under the guidance of Dundubhi. He learnt the scriptures from sage Shakti…
Markandeya says- ‘Among the eighteen sons of Marut, Narishyant was the eldest. Marut ruled over his kingdom for 70,015 years after which Narishyant succeeded him as the king. Marut went to the forest to do penance. After becoming the king, Narishyant decided to perform a grand Yagya, the like of…
Markandeya says- ‘When Aveekshit reached the oblation site, he found that the whole atmosphere was ablaze by the tremendous heat generated by Marut’s weapon, Samvartak. He requested Marut to drop his weapon but Marut refused by saying- ‘O father! These serpents are the culprits. They have killed the hermits sons….
Kraustuki asks Markandeya- ‘O lord! We want to know more about Marut.’ Markandeya says- ‘After becoming the king, Marut started ruling in a just manner. He performed many Yagyas under the supervision of numerous ‘Yagyikas’ and esteemed priests. Angira’s son- Samvart and Brihaspati’s brother were his chief priests under whose…
Markandeya says- ‘After the birth of Marut, Aveekshit accompanied by Vaishalini returned to his father’s palace. After making salutations to his father, he kept the new born baby in his lap and told him that he had kept his word. Karandham became very pleased after seeing his grandson.”In course of…
Markandeya says- ‘After Vaishalini had finished her lines, Aveekshit told her that he was forced to abandon her in the past after getting defeated but once again, he had regained her after defeating the demon. Both of them decided to get married in the forest itself.’ ‘Right then, a…
Markandeya says- ‘Once, Aveekshit had gone for a hunt in the forest when suddenly, he heard a female voice shouting for help. He proceeded in the direction of the voice. After reaching there, he saw Danu’s (a demon) son Dhridhakesha, holding a lady by her hair. The woman was crying- ‘I…
Markandeya says- ‘Once, Veera- the wife of King Karandham and mother of Aveekshit had taken a vow to accomplish a very arduous penance. But this could only be accomplished with Karandham’s and Aveekshits assistance. Karandham had assured her that he would provide all the wealth required for the accomplishment of…
Markandeya says- ‘A ferocious battle ensued between Aveekshits army and the other kings. Both sides fought bravely and Aveekshit managed to kill many of the kings but was outnumbered and got severely wounded. Aveekshit was finally made captive. Aveekshit and Sudati Vaishalini were brought to the king of Vishal. The…
Markandeya says- ‘Shubhvrata- the daughter of Veeryachandra had decided to marry Karandham. A son was born to them who was named as Aveekshit. The astrologers had predicted a very bright future for him. Aveekshit learnt lessons in handling all kinds of weapons from the son of Kanva. In a very…
Markandeya says- ‘King Khaninetra went at the bank of the river Gomti and started doing a severe penance to please Indra. After being pleased by his devotion and eulogy, Indra appeared before him. He said to Khaninetra- ‘O king! I am very much pleased by your devotion. Demand anything you…
Markandeya says- ‘Khaninetra was the son of King Vivinsha. He was very brave and valiant. The Gandharvas had proclaimed that no one could match Khaninetra’s benevolence, who had donated the whole earth after accomplishing 10,000 Yagyas. Khaninetra had given so much wealth as donations to the Brahmins that there was…
Markandeya says- ‘King Kshup ruled justly in the same way as his father Khanitra did. Kshup’s wife was Pramatha. They had a son who was handsome and mighty. He had defeated all the kings and annexed their kingdom. He was married to Nandini, the princess of Vidarbha. Nandini gave birth…
Markandeya says- ‘People present at the oblation site were shocked to see the dead bodies of Vishwavedi and the four priests. When Khanitra got this news, he too was shocked. Khanitra went to Vashishta and asked him the reason about the deaths of his brother’s minister and the four priests….
Markandeya says- ‘Sunanda gave birth to 12 sons. Their names were Pranshu, Praveer, Shoor, Suchakra, Vikrama, Krama, Bala, Balak, Chand, Prachand, Suvikrama and Swarup. After growing up, Pranshu became the king. Pranshu had a son named Prajati. Prajati had five sons among whom Khanitra was one of them. Khanitra became…
Nabhag told his wife- ‘I would never accept the kingdom for the second time, which I had relinquished at the instruction of my father. He then instructed his son to rule over the kingdom he had won. Following his father’s instructions, Bhalandan started ruling over his kingdom. Later on, he…
Markandeya says- ‘The king stopped fighting at the request of Narada. Nabhag married the Vaishya girl. After the marriage, the king ordered Nabhag to follow a Vaishya’s occupation. Nabhag got engaged in activities like animal husbandry and agriculture. With the passage of time, a son was born and who was…
Markandeya says- ‘Nabhag was the son of King Dishta. One day, he saw a beautiful woman who was the daughter of a Vaishya. He was very enchanted by her beauty and wanted to marry her. He went to the Vaishya and expressed his desire. The Vaishya was terrified at the…
King Prishadhna was the son of Manu. One day, he had gone to the forest on a hunting spree. He killed a cow by mistake. This cow belonged to an Agnihotri Brahmin who was performing a Yagya. The Brahmin became very furious and cursed Prishadhna to become a Shudra. King…
Markandeya says- ‘Martandadev had a son named Manu. The seventh Manavantar in which we are living is named after him. Manu had many sons among whom Narishyant, Nabhag, Prishadhna and Drisht were the rulers of different kingdoms. Manu had performed a special Yagya named Mitra-Varuna with the desire of having…
Kraustuki says- ‘O lord! Enlighten us on the greatness of Bhaskar.’ Markandeya replied- ‘There was a king named Rajyavardhan. His subjects were very happy and satisfied under his rule. They were free from all the diseases. Rajyavardhan ruled for 7,000 long years. His wife was Manini. One day, while Manini…
Markandeya says- ‘After being pleased by the eulogy of Aditi, the Sun shed its radiance and became sombre. Now, Aditi could see him. She said- ‘O lord! Be pleased upon me. The Daityas and the Danavas have captured all the three worlds from my sons. I request you to take…
Markandeya says- ‘After Brahma came out from that egg, Rigveda manifested from his first mouth. From the mouth facing south, manifested the Yajurveda. After that, Samaveda manifested from his mouth facing west. In the end, Atharvaveda came out from the mouth facing north. The Rigveda symbolises the Rajo Guna while…
Lord Brahma had created Daksha from the thumb of his right hand. Daksha’s wife was created from the thumb of Brahma’s left hand. Daksha had a daughter named Aditi. Martandadev was the son of Aditi and his father was Kashyapa. Kraustuki asked- ‘O lord! Why did Vivasvan Surya took birth…
Markandeya says- ‘Now I am going to tell you about the origin of Bhautya Manavantar. Sage Angira had a disciple named Bhuti. He was short tempered in nature and used to curse anybody at the earliest opportunity. Everybody including the deities like Indra, Vayu, Surya etc. were scared of him….
Markandeya says- ‘After the departure of his ancestors, Ruchi started wandering here and there in his restlessness. After sometime, when he regained his composure, he decided to do penance to please Lord Brahma. His penance continued for one hundred years. After the accomplishment of his penance, Lord Brahma appeared before…
Markandeya says- ‘As soon as the ancestors departed, a beautiful Apsara came near Ruchi. Her name was Pramalocha. She said to him- ‘O great sage! I have a daughter named Malini. The name of my husband is Pushkar. I want to get her betrothed to you. Please accept her as…
Markandeya says- ‘O great sage! Now I am going to tell you about the Manavantar of Savarn, which will be the ninth Manavantar. Savarn was the son of Daksha. During this Manavantar, there will be three prominent groups of deities. Each group would comprise of twelve deities. During this Manavantar,…
The sage says- ‘O king! I have described in detail about the greatness of Goddess Bhagvati who is the creator of this universe. She is the one who bestows the knowledge of self to us. She is the Maya (illusion) by whom the whole world is influenced. You must take…
Goddess Bhagvati says- I will clear all the obstacles from the path of such a man who worships me. A devotee who listens to the great tales of how I killed Mahishasura, Shumbh and Nishumbh, on the eighth, ninth and fourteenth days of any month, would be liberated from all…
Markandeya says- After goddess Bhagvati had killed Shumbh, all the deities under the leadership of Indra and Agni started eulogising her- ‘O Goddess! Be pleased up on us! Protect the whole world, as you are the goddess of this whole universe. You appear in the form of this earth- the base…
Markandeya says- ‘Shumbh became angry at the death of his brother- Nishumbh. He furiously told the goddess- ‘O wicked lady! Do not be proud of your strength borrowed from others.’ Goddess Bhagvati replied- ‘O wicked demon! I am the only power of this whole universe. I am the origin of…
Markandeya says- ‘When Shumbh and Nishumbh heard about Raktabeej’s death, they were infuriated. Nishumbh attacked the goddess with a huge army. Shumbh attacked from the other side. In the fierce battle, Goddess Bhagvati broke the sword as well as the shield of Nishumbh. Nishumbh then attacked Goddess Bhagvati with his…
Markandeya says- ‘When Shumbh got the news of Chand and Mund’ s death, he became very furious. He proceeded to fight Goddess Bhagvati accompanied by numerous mighty warriors like Udayudh, Kambu, Kotiveerya, Dhumravanashajat, Kalak, Kalkeya etc. When Goddess Chandika saw them coming, she made a loud sound by pulling the…
Chand and Mund proceeded with a huge army. At that time, Goddess Bhagvati had positioned herself at the peak of Himachal Mountain. She was mounted on the back of Simha and was smiling sweetly. Chand and Mund tried to enslave her but suddenly, Goddess Kali appeared from her mouth and…
Markandeya says- ‘Sugreev went back to Shumbh and narrated the whole story. Shumbh became very furious and instructed Dhumralochan to bring her by force. Dhumralochan went to Goddess Bhagvati accompanied by 60,000 demons. Initially, he requested her to come along with him. He also threatened to take her forcibly if…
Markandeya says- ‘During ancient times, the demons- Shumbh and Nishumbh had captured all the three worlds after defeating the deities. The deities went to Goddess Parvati and eulogised her by saying- ‘O goddess! You had promised us that you would come to our help at the time of our need….
Markandeya says- ‘After the killing of Mahishasura, all the deities including Indra eulogised Goddess Bhagvati and said- ‘We make salutations to her who has manifested herself as a result of the unison of the powers of all the deities, one who is revered by all the deities and the sages….
Markandeya says- ‘During ancient times, the deities and the demons fought a fierce battle which lasted for a hundred years. The deities were defeated in this battle. Mahishasura drove out the deities from heaven and ascended the throne of Indra. The defeated deities went to seek the help of Lord…
Markandeya says- ‘King Surath was the descendant of Chaitra. He was defeated in the battle against King Kolvidhvansi. All his wealth was deceitfully taken over by his cunning ministers. King Surath fled to the forest to save his life where he met a sage named Medha. He stayed with him…
Kraustuki says- ‘O revered sage! You have already enlightened me by revealing the names of seven different Manus of each Manavantar. You have also told me about the deities, the kings and the sages who existed during each Manavantar. Now, I am curious to know about the seven Manus, the…
Markandeya says- ‘The Manu of Vaivasvat Manavantar was famously known as Vaivasvat as he was the son of Vivasvan (Surya). Surya was married to Sangya- the daughter of Vishwakarma. Although, she had borne two sons (Vaivasvat and Yama) and a daughter (Yami) from Surya, yet the radiance of Surya was…
Chakshush had manifested from the eye (Chakshu) of Lord Brahma in his previous birth. For this reason, he was known as Chakshush. Chakshush was born to Anmitra and Giribhadra. After taking birth, he was abducted by Jatharini and exchanged with the son of King Vikrant who was sleeping besides his…
Markandeya says- ‘Now I am going to tell you about Raivat Manu. His father was Ritvak. Raivat was born in Revati Nakshatra. Later on, he became infamous for his loose character. His father was very worried about him. Ritvak asked sage Garg as to how such a mean child had…
Markandeya says- ‘There used to live a king named Swarashtra. The deity Surya had blessed him with a long life. The king had one hundred wives, but they were not as lucky as he was as far as enjoying a long life was concerned. One by one, all of them…
Markandeya says- ‘O sage! The following Ganas who reigned during Auttam Manavantar are very famous. They are the first Gana- Swadhama. The second Gana Satya was related with the deities. The third Gana was Shiva, the fourth was named Pratardan and the fifth Gana was Vashvarti. Each of the Ganas…
Markandeya says- ‘King Uttam wondered as to what should he do to get liberated from the sins of abandoning his wife. He requested the sage to help him in this regard. The sage informed the king that his wife was living at Ranatal. The king of the serpents- Kapotak is…
