Adhyaya 70: The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife

Verse 1

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे औत्तममन्वन्तरे एकोनसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः । सप्ततितमोऽध्यायः- ७० । मार्कण्डेय उवाच । अथारुरोह स्वरथं प्रणिपत्य महामुनिम् । तेनाख्यातं वनं तच्च प्रययावुत्पलावतम् ॥

Thus, in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, in the Auttama-manvantara, the sixty-ninth chapter ends, and the seventieth begins. Mārkaṇḍeya said: Then he mounted his own chariot; having bowed to the great sage, he set out for the forest indicated by him, to Utpalāvataka.

Verse 2

यथाख्यातस्वरूपां च भार्यां भर्त्रा द्विजस्य ताम् । भक्षयन्तीं ददर्शाथ श्रीफलानि नरेश्वरः ॥

And the king then saw that Brahmin’s wife—just as she had been described—eating śrīphala fruits.

Verse 3

पप्रच्छ च कथं भद्रे ! त्वमेतद्वनमागता । स्फुटं ब्रवीहि वैशालेरपि भार्या सुशर्मणः ॥

He asked: “O good lady, how did you come to this forest? Tell clearly—are you the wife of Suśarman of Vaiśālī?”

Verse 4

ब्राह्मण्युवाच । सुताहमतिरात्रस्य द्विजस्य वनवासिनः । पत्नी विशालपुत्रस्य यस्य नाम त्वयोदितम् ॥

The Brahmin woman said: “I am the daughter of Atirātra, a twice-born who dwells in the forest. And I am the wife of the son of Viśāla, whose name you have spoken.”

Verse 5

साहं हृता बलाकेन राक्षसेन दुरात्मना । प्रसुप्ता भवनस्यान्ते भ्रातृमातृवियोजिता ॥

“While I slept at the edge of the house, Balāka, that wicked rākṣasa, carried me off—separating me from my brother and my mother.”

Verse 6

भस्मीभवतु तद्रक्षो येनास्म्येवं वियोजिता । मात्रा भ्रातृभिरन्यैश्च तिष्ठाम्यत्र सुदुःखिता ॥

May that rākṣasa by whom I have been thus separated be reduced to ashes. Separated from my mother, my brothers, and others, I remain here in exceedingly great sorrow.

Verse 7

अस्मिन्वनेऽतिगहने तेनानीयाहमुज्झिता । न वेद्मि कारणं किं तन्नोपभुङ्क्ते न खादति ॥

In this exceedingly dense forest he brought me and then abandoned me. I do not know the reason—he neither enjoys me nor eats me.

Verse 8

राजोवाच अपि तज्ज्ञायते रक्षस्त्वामुत्सृज्य क्व वै गतम् । अहं भर्त्रा तवैवात्र प्रेषितो द्विजनन्दिनि ॥

The king said: “Is it known where the rākṣasa went after abandoning you? I have been sent here by your husband, O delight of the twice-born.”

Verse 9

ब्राह्मण्युवाच अस्यैव काननस्यान्ते स तिष्ठति निशाचरः । प्रविश्य पश्यतु भवान् न बिभेति ततो यदि ॥

The Brahmin woman said: “That night-roamer stands at the edge of this very forest. Enter and see—if you do not fear him, then do so.”

Verse 10

मार्कण्डेय उवाच प्रविवेश ततः सोऽथ तया वर्त्मनि दर्शिते । ददृशे परिवारॆण समवेतञ्च राक्षसम् ॥

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then he entered, shown the path by her, and he saw the rākṣasa assembled together with his attendants.”

Verse 11

दृष्टमात्रे ततस्तस्मिन् त्वरमाणः स राक्षसः । दूरादेव महीं मूर्ध्ना स्पृशन् पादान्तिकं ययौ ॥

At the very moment he beheld him, the rākṣasa hastened; even from afar, touching the earth with his head in obeisance, he drew near to the king’s feet.

Verse 12

राक्षस उवाच ममात्रागच्छता गेहं प्रसादस्ते महान् कृतः । प्रसाधि किं करोम्येष वसामि विषये तव ॥

The rākṣasa said: “By your coming here to my dwelling, a great favor has been done to me. Be gracious—what shall I do? I dwell within your realm.”

Verse 13

अर्घञ्चेमं प्रतीच्छ त्वं स्थीयताञ्चेदमासनम् । वयं भृत्या भवान् स्वामी दृढमाज्ञापयस्व माम् ॥

“Accept this arghya, and take this seat. We are your servants; you are the master—command me firmly.”

Verse 14

राजोवाच कृतमेव त्वया सर्वं सर्वामेवातिथिक्रियाम् । किमर्थं ब्राह्मणवधूस्त्वयानीता निशाचर ॥

The king said: “You have indeed done everything—every act of hospitality. But for what purpose did you bring (abduct) a Brahmin’s wife, O night-roamer?”

Verse 15

नेयं सुरूपा सन्त्यन्या भाय्र्यार्थञ्चेद् हृता त्वया । भक्ष्यार्थं चेत्कथं नात्ता त्वयैतत्कथ्यतां मम ॥

“She is not particularly beautiful—there are others. If you carried her off as a wife, why her? And if it was for food, how is it that you did not eat her? Tell me this.”

Verse 16

राक्षस उवाच न वयं मानुषाहारा अन्ये ते नृप ! राक्षसाः । सुकृतस्य फलं यत्तु तदश्नीमो वयं नृप ॥

The Rākṣasa said: “We are not eaters of human flesh, O king—those are other Rākṣasas. We, O king, subsist on whatever is the fruit of merit (sukṛta).”

Verse 17

स्वभावञ्च मनुष्याणां योषिताञ्च विमानिताः । मानिताश्च समश्नीमो न वयं जन्तुखादकाः ॥

“We consume the very nature of humans—and of women when they are dishonored; and even when they are honored, we consume that too. We are not devourers of living beings.”

Verse 18

यदस्माभिर्नृणां क्षान्तिर्भुक्ता क्रुध्यन्ति ते तदा । भुक्ते दुष्टे स्वभावे च गुणवन्तो भवन्ति च ॥

“When we have ‘consumed’ people’s forbearance, they then become angry. And when their wicked disposition has been ‘consumed’, they even become possessed of virtues.”

Verse 19

सन्ति नः प्रमदा भूप ! रूपेणाप्सरसां समाः । राक्षस्यस्तासु तिष्ठत्सु मानुषीषु रतिः कथम् ॥

“We have women, O king, whose beauty equals that of the Apsarases. When such Rākṣasī women are available, how could there be desire for human women?”

Verse 20

राजोवाच यद्येषा नोपभोगाय नाहाराय निशाचर । गृहं प्रविश्य विप्रस्य तत्किमेषा हृता त्वया ॥

The King said: “If she is neither for enjoyment nor for food, O night-roamer, then why—having entered a brāhmaṇa’s house—have you taken her away?”

Verse 21

राक्षस उवाच मन्त्रवित् स द्विजश्रेष्ठो यज्ञे यज्ञे गतस्य मे । रक्षोघ्नमन्त्रपठनात् करोत्युच्चाटनं नृप ॥

The Rākṣasa said: “That best of brāhmaṇas is a knower of mantras. Whenever I go to a sacrifice, by reciting rākṣasa-slaying mantras he drives me away, O king.”

Verse 22

वयं बुभुक्षितास्तस्य मन्त्रोच्चाटनकर्मणा । क्व यामः सर्वयज्ञेषु स ऋत्विग् भवति द्विजः ॥

“We are left hungry because of his mantra-driven expulsions. Where can we go? In every sacrifice that brāhmaṇa serves as the officiating priest (ṛtvij).”

Verse 23

ततोऽस्माभिरिदन्तस्य वैकल्यमुपपादितम् । पत्नीविना पुमानिज्याकर्मयोग्यो न जायते ॥

“Therefore we brought about this disability for him: without a wife, a man does not become fit to perform sacrificial worship (ijyā-karman).”

Verse 24

मार्कण्डेय उवाच वैकल्योच्चारणात्तस्य ब्राह्मणस्य महामतेः । ततः स राजातिभृशं विषण्णः समजायत ॥

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Upon hearing of the impairment of that great-minded brāhmaṇa, the king then became exceedingly distressed.”

Verse 25

वैकल्यमेवं विप्रस्य वदन्मामेव निन्दति । अनर्हमर्घस्य च मां सोऽप्याह मुनिसत्तमः ॥

“Speaking thus about the brāhmaṇa’s impairment, he even censures me; and that best of sages also said that I was unworthy of honor (argha).”

Verse 26

वैकल्यं तस्य विप्रस्य राक्षसोऽप्याह मे यथा । अपत्नीकतया सोऽहं सङ्कटं महदास्थितः ॥

Just as I have described the deficiency in that brāhmaṇa, the rākṣasa also told me: “Because I am without a wife, I have fallen into a great distress.”

Verse 27

मार्कण्डेय उवाच एवम् चिन्तयतस्तस्य पुनरप्याह राक्षसः । प्रणामनम्रो राजानं बद्धाञ्जलिपुटो मुने ॥

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “As he was thinking thus, the rākṣasa again spoke—bowing in salutation to the king, with joined palms, O sage.”

Verse 28

नरेन्द्राज्ञाप्रदानेन प्रसादः क्रियतां मम । भृत्यस्य प्रणतस्य त्वं युष्मद्विषयवासिनः ॥

“By granting a command, O king, show me favor. You are lord over one who dwells in your realm—your servant, bowed before you.”

Verse 29

राजोवाच स्वभावं वयमश्नीमस्त्वयोक्तं यन्निशाचर । तदर्थिनो वयं येन कार्येण शृणु तन्मम ॥

The king said: “We accept and deal with things according to their nature, O night-roamer, as you have spoken. We too have a purpose—listen to the task I require for that favor.”

Verse 30

अस्यास्त्वयाद्य ब्राह्मण्या दौःशील्यमुपभुज्यताम् । येन त्वयात्तदौःशील्या तद्विनीता भवेदियम् ॥

“Today, consume or remove the bad conduct of this brāhmaṇa woman—so that, once that bad conduct is taken away by you, she may become disciplined and well-trained.”

Verse 31

नीयतां यस्य भार्येयं तस्य वेश्म निशाचर । अस्मिन् कृते कृतं सर्वं गृहमभ्यागतस्य मे ॥

“Take her to the house of the man whose wife she is, O night-roamer. When this is done, everything is accomplished for me, a guest who has come to this house.”

Verse 32

मार्कण्डेय उवाच ततः स राक्षसस्तस्याः प्रविश्यान्तः स्वमायया । भक्षयामास दौःशील्यं निजशक्त्या नृपाज्ञया ॥

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then that rākṣasa, entering within her by his own māyā, devoured her bad conduct—by his own power, in accordance with the king’s command.”

Verse 33

दौःशील्येनातिरौद्रेण पत्नी तस्य द्विजन्मनः । तेन सा संपरित्यक्ता तमाह जगतीपतिम् ॥

“Because of her extremely fierce ill-conduct, the wife of that twice-born man was abandoned by him; having been cast off, she spoke to the lord of the land (the king).”

Verse 34

स्वकर्मफलपाकेन भर्तुस्तस्य महात्मनः । वियोजिताहं तद्धेतुरयमासीन् निशाचरः ॥

“By the ripening of the fruit of my own deeds, I have been separated from that great-souled husband. The cause of that separation was this night-roamer (rākṣasa).”

Verse 35

नास्य दोषो न वा तस्य मम भर्तुर्महात्मनः । ममैव दोषो नान्यस्य सुकृतं ह्युपभुज्यते ॥

“There is no fault in him—nor in that great-souled husband of mine. The fault is mine alone, not another’s; for merit (and its result) is indeed enjoyed by the one who has done it.”

Verse 36

अन्यजन्मनि कस्यापि विप्रयोगः कृतो मया । सोऽयं ममाप्युपगतः को दोषोऽस्य महात्मनः ॥

“In another birth I caused someone’s separation. That very fruit of karma has now come upon me as well. What fault is there in this great-souled man?”

Verse 37

राक्षस उवाच प्रापयामि तवादेशादिमां भर्तृगृहं प्रभो । यदन्यत्करणीयन्ते तदाज्ञापय पार्थिव ॥

The rākṣasa said: “By your command, O lord, I shall deliver this woman to her husband’s house. Whatever else must be done—command that too, O king.”

Verse 38

राजोवाच अस्मिन् कृते कृतं सर्वं त्वया मे रजनीचर । आगन्तव्यञ्च ते वीर कार्यकाले स्मृतेन मे ॥

The king said: “When this is done, everything will have been done for me by you, O night-roamer. And you, O hero, must come when there is a task—whenever I remember and summon you.”

Verse 39

नाथेत्युक्त्वा तु तद्रक्षस्तामादाय द्विजाङ्गनाम् । निन्ये भर्तृगृहं शुद्धां दौःशील्यापगमात्तदा ॥

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Saying “So be it, my lord,” that rākṣasa took the brāhmaṇa woman and led her to her husband’s house—then she was pure, for the stain of ill repute had departed.