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Markandeya

May 03, 2024

For the 1935 Tamil film, see Markandeya (film). For other uses, see Markanda (disambiguation).

Markandeya (Sanskrit: मार्कण्‍डेय, romanized: Mārkaṇḍeya) is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini.[1] The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas in Hinduism), attributed to the sage, comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage called Jaimini. A number of chapters in the Bhagavata Purana are dedicated to his conversations and prayers.[2] He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. Markandeya is venerated within all mainstream Hindu traditions.

Markandeya
Member of Chiranjivi
Shiva protects Markendeya from Yama by Raja Ravi Varma
AffiliationChiranjivi
Personal information
Parents

Legend edit

Rescue by Kalantaka-Shiva edit

Main article: Kalantaka

One legend relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death, personified as Yama.

Sage Mrikanda performed penance to propitiate Shiva for several years and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. The deity offered him the choice of either a virtuous and pious son who would have a short life, or a dull-witted or malicious child who would have a long life. Mrikanda chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of sixteen. Markandeya mastered the Vedas and the Shastras and grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva. Learning his fate from his distressed parents shortly before his sixteenth year, he started to engage in severe austerities. On the day of his destined death, he continued his worship of Shiva in the deity's aniconic form of a lingam. The messengers of Yama, the god of death, were unable to take away his life because the power of his devotion to Shiva shielded him against them. Yama came in person to take away Markandeya's life, even as the sage embraced the lingam, crying for help. Yama sprung his noose around the young sage's neck, which also circled the lingam. Angered, Shiva emerged from the lingam, attacking Yama to save his devotee. After slaying Yama, Shiva revived him under the request of the devas, under the condition that Markandeya remain sixteen years old forever.[3] For this act, Shiva acquired the epithet kalantaka (destroyer of time and death).

Vision of Pralaya edit

The Bhagavata Purana describes Markandeya worshipping Vishnu for six manvanataras (an age of Manu). Alarmed by the sage's prowess, Indra tasked a number of apsaras, gandharvas, and the god of love, Kamadeva, to disrupt his ascetic practice. The celestial beings travelled to the hermitage of the sage, located on the Himalayas along the banks of the river Pushpabhadra. The sage remained undisturbed by the songs, dances, and attempts of seduction by the beings, after which they fled. Impressed by Markandeya, Vishnu appeared before him in his form of the sage-brothers Nara-Narayana. Markandeya extolled the sage-brothers, and requested that he be granted a sight of Vishnu's maya (illusion), which was granted. One evening, while Markandeya prayed, he experienced a vision of the pralaya, the dissolution of the universe. A great deluge submerged the earth, destroying all living beings, and the sage found himself being the only creature left alive, thrashed by the waters. Even as the torrent propelled him, the sage observed a banyan tree, upon whose branch he saw a dazzling baby upon a leaf. Markandeya marvelled at the sight of its wondrous form. Entering the form of the baby, he witnessed the entire universe, the passage of the ages, all living beings, as well as a vision of his own hermitage. Leaving the baby's form and returning to the vision of the pralaya, the sage attempted to hug the baby, knowing it to be Vishnu himself. The baby vanished, and the maya was subsequently dispelled, returning Markandeya back to his hermitage. Even as Markandeya extolled Vishnu, Shiva and Parvati appeared before the sage, and the latter sang their praises. Pleased by the sage, Shiva offered him a boon. The sage asked for the devotees of Vishnu and Shiva to be blessed. Shiva granted this boon, declaring that Markandeya would also be immortal, gain great religious merit, and also blessed with the authorship of a Purana.[4][5]

Veneration edit

Today, the Markandeya Tirtha, where the sage Markandeya is regarded to have written the Markandeya Purana, is situated on a trekking route to the Yamunotri shrine in the Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand.[6]

The legend of Shiva saving Markandeya is said to have taken place on the bank of river Gomati in Kaithi, Varanasi. An ancient temple known as the Markandeya Mahadeva Temple is made on this site. Alternatively, another story states that this event happened in Kerala, at the site of Triprangode Siva Temple where the Markandeya ran up to the Shiva Linga at the temple to escape from Yama. A source also claims that this incident took place at the Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga in the Beed district of Maharashtra. It is also believed to have happened in either of two temples in Tamil Nadu, Thirukkadaiyur or Thiruvanmiyur.

Films on Markandeya edit

  • Markandeya at IMDb   (1922)
  • Shri Markandeya Avtaar (1922)
  • Markandeya (1935)
  • Bhakta Markandeya (1938)
  • Bhakta Markandeya (1956)
  • Bhakta Dhruva Markandeya (1982)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Books, Kausiki (24 October 2021). Markandeya Purana: English Translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books. p. 444.
  2. ^ Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 12, Chapter 8: Markandeya's Prayers to Nara-Narayana Rishi 14 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. p. 488. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
  4. ^ Gita Press. Bhagavata Purana Gita Press. pp. 698–710.
  5. ^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. p. 488. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
  6. ^ Yamunotri Temple 31 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Uttarkashi district website.

External links edit

  • The Markandeya Purana (English) by F. E. Pargiter; Online HTML
  • Markandeya Sastha Temple
  • Markandeya Temple Mumbai(Worli)
  • Markandeya obtained his boon of life here in Parali from Vaidyanatha

May 03, 2024
markandeya, 1935, tamil, film, film, other, uses, markanda, disambiguation, sanskrit, कण, romanized, mārkaṇḍeya, rishi, sage, featured, hindu, literature, sage, mrikanda, wife, manasvini, purana, eighteen, mahāpurāṇas, hinduism, attributed, sage, comprises, di. For the 1935 Tamil film see Markandeya film For other uses see Markanda disambiguation Markandeya Sanskrit म र कण ड य romanized Markaṇḍeya is a rishi sage featured in Hindu literature He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife Manasvini 1 The Markandeya Purana one of the eighteen Mahapuraṇas in Hinduism attributed to the sage comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage called Jaimini A number of chapters in the Bhagavata Purana are dedicated to his conversations and prayers 2 He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata Markandeya is venerated within all mainstream Hindu traditions MarkandeyaMember of ChiranjiviShiva protects Markendeya from Yama by Raja Ravi VarmaAffiliationChiranjiviPersonal informationParentsMrikanda father Manasvini mother Contents 1 Legend 1 1 Rescue by Kalantaka Shiva 1 2 Vision of Pralaya 2 Veneration 3 Films on Markandeya 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksLegend editRescue by Kalantaka Shiva edit Main article Kalantaka One legend relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death personified as Yama Sage Mrikanda performed penance to propitiate Shiva for several years and sought from him the boon of begetting a son The deity offered him the choice of either a virtuous and pious son who would have a short life or a dull witted or malicious child who would have a long life Mrikanda chose the former and was blessed with Markandeya an exemplary son destined to die at the age of sixteen Markandeya mastered the Vedas and the Shastras and grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva Learning his fate from his distressed parents shortly before his sixteenth year he started to engage in severe austerities On the day of his destined death he continued his worship of Shiva in the deity s aniconic form of a lingam The messengers of Yama the god of death were unable to take away his life because the power of his devotion to Shiva shielded him against them Yama came in person to take away Markandeya s life even as the sage embraced the lingam crying for help Yama sprung his noose around the young sage s neck which also circled the lingam Angered Shiva emerged from the lingam attacking Yama to save his devotee After slaying Yama Shiva revived him under the request of the devas under the condition that Markandeya remain sixteen years old forever 3 For this act Shiva acquired the epithet kalantaka destroyer of time and death Vision of Pralaya edit The Bhagavata Purana describes Markandeya worshipping Vishnu for six manvanataras an age of Manu Alarmed by the sage s prowess Indra tasked a number of apsaras gandharvas and the god of love Kamadeva to disrupt his ascetic practice The celestial beings travelled to the hermitage of the sage located on the Himalayas along the banks of the river Pushpabhadra The sage remained undisturbed by the songs dances and attempts of seduction by the beings after which they fled Impressed by Markandeya Vishnu appeared before him in his form of the sage brothers Nara Narayana Markandeya extolled the sage brothers and requested that he be granted a sight of Vishnu s maya illusion which was granted One evening while Markandeya prayed he experienced a vision of the pralaya the dissolution of the universe A great deluge submerged the earth destroying all living beings and the sage found himself being the only creature left alive thrashed by the waters Even as the torrent propelled him the sage observed a banyan tree upon whose branch he saw a dazzling baby upon a leaf Markandeya marvelled at the sight of its wondrous form Entering the form of the baby he witnessed the entire universe the passage of the ages all living beings as well as a vision of his own hermitage Leaving the baby s form and returning to the vision of the pralaya the sage attempted to hug the baby knowing it to be Vishnu himself The baby vanished and the maya was subsequently dispelled returning Markandeya back to his hermitage Even as Markandeya extolled Vishnu Shiva and Parvati appeared before the sage and the latter sang their praises Pleased by the sage Shiva offered him a boon The sage asked for the devotees of Vishnu and Shiva to be blessed Shiva granted this boon declaring that Markandeya would also be immortal gain great religious merit and also blessed with the authorship of a Purana 4 5 Veneration editToday the Markandeya Tirtha where the sage Markandeya is regarded to have written the Markandeya Purana is situated on a trekking route to the Yamunotri shrine in the Uttarkashi district Uttarakhand 6 The legend of Shiva saving Markandeya is said to have taken place on the bank of river Gomati in Kaithi Varanasi An ancient temple known as the Markandeya Mahadeva Temple is made on this site Alternatively another story states that this event happened in Kerala at the site of Triprangode Siva Temple where the Markandeya ran up to the Shiva Linga at the temple to escape from Yama A source also claims that this incident took place at the Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga in the Beed district of Maharashtra It is also believed to have happened in either of two temples in Tamil Nadu Thirukkadaiyur or Thiruvanmiyur Films on Markandeya editMarkandeya at IMDb nbsp 1922 Shri Markandeya Avtaar 1922 Markandeya 1935 Bhakta Markandeya 1938 Bhakta Markandeya 1956 Bhakta Dhruva Markandeya 1982 See also editNarada Prahlada Four Kumaras Hindu calendar Saptarishi ChiranjivinsReferences edit Books Kausiki 24 October 2021 Markandeya Purana English Translation only without Slokas Kausiki Books p 444 Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 12 Chapter 8 Markandeya s Prayers to Nara Narayana Rishi Archived 14 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine Mani Vettam 1975 Puranic encyclopaedia a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature Robarts University of Toronto Delhi Motilal Banarsidass p 488 ISBN 978 0 8426 0822 0 Gita Press Bhagavata Purana Gita Press pp 698 710 Mani Vettam 1975 Puranic encyclopaedia a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature Robarts University of Toronto Delhi Motilal Banarsidass p 488 ISBN 978 0 8426 0822 0 Yamunotri Temple Archived 31 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Uttarkashi district website Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend ISBN 0 500 51088 1 by Anna Dallapiccola The Complete Idiot s Guide to Hinduism Chapter 1 pg 13External links editThe Markandeya Purana English by F E Pargiter Online HTML Markandeya s Prayers from the Bhagavata Purana Markandeya Sastha Temple Markandeya Temple Mumbai Worli Markandeya obtained his boon of life here in Parali from Vaidyanatha Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Markandeya amp oldid 1220895342, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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