137 - Conclusion. 

The Birds close here the long discourse delivered by Markandeya, and Jaimini thanks them and departs. 

The Birds spoke:

1 Having spoken thus, O Jaimineya, † the great muni Markandeya let the muni Kraushtuki depart, and performed the

†He and the Birds reappear from canto xlv. The text is Jaimineyam, " Having spoken thus to Jaimineya;” but the Birds have been relating to Jaimini what Markandeya had before told to Kraushtuki, and this reading is unsuitable unless Jaimineya be taken as Kraushtnki's patronymic; and that it cannot be, for Kraushtuki's patronymic is said to have been Bhaguri, see pp. 436 and 445. I have ventured therefore to read Jaimineya instead. 

2 mid-day ceremony. From him we also have heard what we have declared to thee, O great muni. For this was perfected by Him who is without beginning. †† Spoken formerly by the

††Anadi-siddham. The Calcutta Appendix reads anima-siddham, " perfect in minuteness." 

3 Self-existent One to the muni Markandeya was this which we have uttered to thee. It is sacred, pure, and grants length of life; it bestows righteousness, love, wealth and final emancipation

4 from existence; it delivers immediately from all sin those who read it, those who hear it. 

5 And the very four questions indeed, which thou didst put to us at the very first-the conversation between the father and son, and the creation by the Self-existent One, and the administrations§

§ Sthiti; or "positions." 

6 of the Manus, and the exploits of the kings, O muni, this we have declared to thee. What now dost thou wish to hear? After hearing or reading|| all these matters in assemblies,

||The Calcutta reading pathitva appears preferable to pathate.

7 a man discarding all sins may reach absorption into Brahman at the end. *

*The Calcutta Appendix here introdaces Jaimini's reply which is at page 688; and puts what follows here regarding the Puranas as a separate pronouncement by Brahma.  

There† are eighteen Puranas which the Forefather spoke.

†The Calcutta Appendix puts all that follows down to verse 30_, and also the concluding two verses_, into the mouth of Brahma, and places it at the very end. 

8 Now the seventh of them is to be known as the very famous Markandeya Purana. †† They are the Brahma, the Padma, and

††This sentence is omitted from the Calcutta Appendix.

9 the Vaishnava, the Saiva and the Bhagavata, and also the Naradiya besides, and the Markandeya as seventh, the Agneya which was declared the eighth, and the Bhavishya ninth, the Brahma

10 vaivarta tenth, the Lainga known as the eleventh, Varaha declared

11 clared the twelfth, the Skanda next as thirteenth, and the Vamana fourteenth, and the Kaurma fifteenth, and the Matsya, and the Garuda and next the Brahmanda. 

12 He who may read the titles of the eighteen Puranas, who repeats§ them at the three periods of the day continually, may obtain the result of a horse-sacrifice.

§For japato read japate. 

13 Both creation and secondary creation, genealogy and the manvantaras and the exploits in the genealogies constitute a Purana with the five characteristics. || 

||This verse and the next are not in the Calcutta Appendix.

14 This Purana which contains the four questions is indeed of the highest quality. Now when it is heard, sin committed in

15 hundreds of ten millions of ages perishes. Brahmanicide and other sins, and other deeds that are vile, all those perish thereby

16 like grass smitten by the blast. The merit that is gained by making gifts at Pushkara¶ accrues from hearing this Purana; and a man attains to a benefit superior to all the Vedas

¶See 306, note|| 

17 by completely acquiring this. A man should worship him who may cause it to be heard, as he worships the divine Forefather, *with perfumes and flowers and with gifts of clothing and

* The Calcutta Appendix reads shruyeta pujayech chastram “let him hear and reverence this shastra.” 

18 with gratifications to brahmans. And kings should give according to their ability villages and other lands and carriages. † After hearing all this Purana, which is augmented with the objects of the Veda and which is the sole abode of the Dharma-shastras, a man may obtain every object. †† After

† The Calcutta Appendix reads instead—” And he should give according to his ability royal carriages and other vehicles.” 

††This verse and the next two are not in the Calcutta Appendix.

19 hearing the entire Purana, let a wise man do full reverence to Vyasa for the sake of the benefits of righteousness, wealth, love and final emancipation from existence as therein declared. Let

 20 him give his spiritual preceptor a cow, accompanied with gold, clothing and ornaments. In order to gain the benefits that come from hearing it let him gratify his spiritual preceptor with gifts.

21     He who, without paying reverence to the man who reads the Purana out, hears a single verse, acquires no merit; verily

22 he is known as a Scripture-thief. § Not him do the gods gladden, nor the Pitris, with sons; and they desire not || the shraddha given by him nor the benefit gained by bathing at

§ Shastra-chorah

||Cha necchanti of the Calcutta Appendix is better than tathecchanti.

23 sacred places of pilgrimage. He incurs the censure of a Scripture-thief in an assembly of good men. Wise men must not

24 listen to this scripture with contempt; but when this noble scripture is contemned as it is being read by sages, ¶ the offender becomes dumb; he is born as a fool in seven births.

¶ Sadhubhih.

25     Now he, who after hearing this seventh Purana may further do reverence to it, being delivered from all sin verily

26 purifies his own family. The purified man goes without doubt to Vishnu’s eternal world; never shall he falling therefrom

27 become a man again. ** By the very hearing of this Purana a man may obtain supreme union with the universal soul. 

** The Calcutta Appendix reads—” Moreover until seven Manus are gone, he may, after enjoying delights according to his wishes, and after enjoying the very earth, attain to supreme union with the universal soul.”

28    No gift should be made to an atheist, to one fallen from his caste, to a contemner of the Vedas, to one who contemns religious preceptors and twice-born men, or moreover to one who has broken his vows, to one who contemns his parents, to one who contemns the Vedas, S’hastras and other scriptures, or 

29 to one who infringes the rules of good breeding, or indeed to one who is passionate towards his caste-folk. To these men certainly no gift must he made, even when one’s life is at its last gasp. 

30 If entirely through covetousness or infatuation or fear one should read this Purana or cause it to be read, he may assuredly go to hell. 

Markandeya spoke:

31     All this story is characterized by righteousness, and bestows heaven and final emancipation from existence. Who hears it

32 or may read it, his earnest endeavour is achieved; he is never affected by the pain of mental or bodily sickness; he is delivered from brahmanicide and other sins, there is no doubt

 33 of this. Good men become his kindly * friends, affectionate in mind. No enemies nor robbers will ever arise against him,

* Su-jana of the Calcutta Appendix is better than sva-jana.

 34 Aspiring to what is good, † and eating savoury food, he perishes not with famines; nor with sins touching others’ wives or others’ property, or with injury to others or with

†Sad-artho; or perhaps “being in good circumstances”? 

35 such like crimes; and he is continually freed from many pains, O best of dvijas. Success, affluence, memory, peace, good fortune, nourishment, and contentment—may each of these

36 be his continually, who hears this story, brahman! The man who hears the whole of this Markandeya Purana is not to be lamented; nor is he indeed to be lamented who recites this poetical work properly, O dvija. Endowed with perfection that is purified by knowledge of religious devotion, †† and surrounded even in Svarga and the other worlds by Indra and other gods and other heavenly beings, he is always reverenced 

†† Or “possessing pure success in the knowledge of religious devotion.”

37 in Svarga. And after hearing this Purana, which is replete with knowledge and intelligence, being mounted in a choice heavenly ear he is magnified in Svarga.’ 

38     And the number of the syllables in the Purana has been declared by him who is intelligent in exactitude. There are

39 of verses six thousands and eight hundreds also, thereto are 

added eighty-nine verses and eleven—pronounced of yore by the wise muni Markandeya. 

Jaimini spoke:

40    In India there was not that which burst asunder my doubts, O ye twice-born; * ye, sirs, have accomplished that which

* The Calcutta Appendix reads more bluntly, “In India twice-born brahmans have lost the power of bursting asunder perplexities and doubts.”

 41 no one else now will do. Ye have attained long life, are good, † and are clever in knowledge and intelligence. And thus let there be unerring intelligence in the application of the

† For santu of the Bombay and Poona editions read santah, with the Calcutta Appendix. 

42 Sankhya doctrine to the knowledge of spirit! Let evil-mindedness that springs from pain wrought by a father’s curse depart from you! †† After speaking this much the muni went to his own hermitage, pondering over the speech uttered by the Birds, which was sublimely noble. 

†† Vyapaitu vah. See pages 13-16.

End of the Markandeya Purana.