Mārkandeya Mahā Purana
93 - The Devi-mahatmya (concluded).
After hearing this poem, king Su-raHa and the vaishya practised austerities and worshipped the goddess.—Ch’andika appeared to them and gave the king the boon that he should be Manu Savarni in a future life, and bestowed knowledge on the vaishya.
The fishi spoke:
1 I have now related to thee, O king, this sublime poem the Devi-mahatmya. Such majestic power has the goddess, by
2 whom this world is upheld. Moreover, knowledge is conferred by her who is the adorable Vishnu’s Illusive power. By her thou and this vaishya and other men of discrimination, and
3 celebrated men are bewitched; and others shall become bewitched. Go unto her, the supreme queen, as to a place of refuge, O great king. She indeed, when propitiated by men, bestows enjoyment, Svarga and final emancipation from existence.
Markandeya spoke:
4 Having heard this his speech, king Su-ratha fell prostrate before the illustrious rishi who performed severe penances,
5 and being down-cast by hig excessive regard for self and by the deprivation of his kingdom, went forthwith to perform
6 austerities; and the vaishya, O great muni, in order to get a vision of Amba, took up his station on a sand-bank
7 in a river; and the vai^ya practised austerities, muttering the sublime hymn to the goddess. They both made an earthen image of the goddess on that sand-bank, and paid worship
8 to it with flowers, incense, fire and libations of water. Abstaining from food, restricting their food, concentrating their minds on her, keeping their thoughts composed, they both
9 offered the bali offering also sprinkled with blood drawn from their own limbs. When they continued with subdued souls to propitiate her thus for three years, Ch’andika, who upholds the world, well-pleased spoke in visible shape.
The goddess spoke:
10 What thou dost solicit, O king, and thou rejoicer of thy family, receive ye all that from me; well-pleased I bestow it.
Markandeya spoke:
11 Then the king chose a kingdom that should not perish in another life, and in this life his own kingdom wherein the
12 power of his enemies should be destroyed by force. Then the vaishya also, whose mind was down-cast, chose knowledge, - to he wise, knowing ‘what is mine,’ and ‘what I am, knowledge that causes the downfall of worldly attachments.
The goddess spoke:
13 O king, thou shalt obtain thine own kingdom in a very few days, after slaying thine enemies; it shall be steadfast for
14 thee there; and when dead thou shalt gain another life from the god Vivasvat, and shalt be a Manu on earth, by name
15 Savarnika. And O excellent vaishya, I bestow on thee the boon which tliou liast besought of me; knowledge shall be thine unto full perfection.
Markandeya spoke:
16 Having thus given them both the boon that each desired, the goddess vanished forthwith, while extolled by them both in faith.
17 Having thus gained the boon from the goddess, Su-ratha the noble kshattriya shall obtain a new birth through the Sun, and shall be the Manu Savarni.
Summary of chapter 93 of the Mārkandeya Mahā Purana is as follows:
Sage Medhā concludes the narration of the Devī Māhātmya to King Suratha and the merchant Samādhi. Moved to intense devotion, both go to the riverbank, construct a clay murti of the Goddess, and perform rigorous penance for three years. The Mother appears and grants King Suratha the restoration of his kingdom and the boon to become Sāvarṇi Manu in the next epoch, while Samādhi receives pure spiritual illumination and eternal liberation.