Shloka 1
Adhyaya 89 — The Wrath of Shumbha and Nishumbha and the Fall of Nishumbha
इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे सावर्णिके मन्वन्तरे देवीमाहात्म्ये रक्तबीजवधोनामाष्टाशीतितमोऽध्यायः ।
एकोननवतितमोऽध्यायः— ८९ ।
राजोवाच
विचित्रमिदमाख्यातं भगवन् भवता मम ।
देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम् ॥
iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe sāvarṇike manvantare devīmāhātmye raktabījavadhonāmāṣṭāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ | ekonanavatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ—89 | rājovāca vicitram idam ākhyātaṃ bhagavan bhavatā mama | devyāś caritam āhātmyaṃ raktabījavadhāśritam ||
ಇಂತೆ ಶ್ರೀಮಾರ್ಕಂಡೇಯಪುರಾಣದ ಸಾವರ್ಣಿಕ ಮನ್ವಂತರದಲ್ಲಿ, ದೇವೀಮಾಹಾತ್ಮ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ‘ರಕ್ತಬೀಜವಧ’ ಎಂಬ ಎಂಭತ್ತೆಂಟನೆಯ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯವು ಸಮಾಪ್ತವಾಯಿತು. ಈಗ ಎಂಭತ್ತೊಂಬತ್ತನೆಯ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ಆರಂಭವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ರಾಜನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಭಗವನ್, ರಕ್ತಬೀಜವಧವನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡ ದೇವಿಯ ಈ ಅದ್ಭುತ ಚರಿತೆಯನ್ನು ನೀವು ನನಗೆ ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ್ದೀರಿ।
FAQs
The king’s response models śraddhā and inquiry: sacred narration is not passive entertainment but prompts further questioning aimed at understanding the unfolding of dharma and divine agency.
The explicit ‘manvantara’ marker places the episode within Manvantara-lakṣaṇa. The colophon also reflects Purāṇic textual organization used to anchor sacred history in cosmic time.
The transition signals a movement from one conquered inner tendency (self-replicating negativity) to the next confrontation (Śumbha/Niśumbha: pride and possessiveness), mirroring progressive purification.