Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 89, Shloka 1

Adhyaya 89 — The Wrath of Shumbha and Nishumbha and the Fall of Nishumbha

Sanskrit

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे सावर्णिके मन्वन्तरे देवीमाहात्म्ये रक्तबीजवधोनामाष्टाशीतितमोऽध्यायः ।

एकोननवतितमोऽध्यायः— ८९ ।

राजोवाच

विचित्रमिदमाख्यातं भगवन् भवता मम ।

देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम् ॥

Transliteration

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe sāvarṇike manvantare devīmāhātmye raktabījavadhonāmāṣṭāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ | ekonanavatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ—89 | rājovāca vicitram idam ākhyātaṃ bhagavan bhavatā mama | devyāś caritam āhātmyaṃ raktabījavadhāśritam ||

Translation

یوں شری مارکنڈےیہ پران کے ساورنک منونتر میں، دیوی ماہاتمیہ کے اندر ‘رکتبیج-ودھ’ نامی اٹھاسیواں ادھیائے ختم ہوا۔ اب نواسیواں ادھیائے شروع ہوتا ہے۔ راجا نے کہا—اے بھگون، آپ نے مجھے رکتبیج کے ودھ پر مرکوز دیوی کے یہ عجیب و غریب کارنامے سنائے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle)

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-text)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• sāvarṇike: in the Sāvarṇika (Manvantara)
• sāvarṇike: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāvarṇika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (manvantare प्रति)

• manvantare: in the Manvantara
• manvantare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक; manu + antara)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• devī-māhātmye: in the Devī Māhātmya
• devī-māhātmye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Section)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• raktabīja-vadha-nāmā: named ‘The Slaying of Raktabīja’
• raktabīja-vadha-nāmā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raktabīja (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहिर्वृत्ति-विशेषण (adhyāyaḥ प्रति)

• aṣṭāśītitamaḥ: eighty-eighth
• aṣṭāśītitamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭāśīti (प्रातिपदिक संख्या) + tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal) adhyāyaḥ प्रति

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ekona-navatitamaḥ: eighty-ninth (one less than ninety)
• ekona-navatitamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekona (प्रातिपदिक) + navati (प्रातिपदिक संख्या) + tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal) adhyāyaḥ प्रति

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vicitram: wonderful/strange
• vicitram: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vicitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (idam प्रति)

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ākhyātam: has been narrated
• ākhyātam: Kriyā (क्रिया; ‘has been narrated’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु) उपसर्ग-ā + √khyā → ākhyāta (कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP)
• Form: क्तान्त (PPP) used predicatively; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhagavan: O venerable one
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• bhavatā: by you
• bhavatā: Karaṇa (करण/Agent-instrument; ‘by you’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• mama: to me/of me
• mama: Sampradāna/Sambandha (सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध; recipient ‘to me’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• devyāḥ: of the Goddess
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• carita-māhātmyam: the greatness of (her) deeds
• carita-māhātmyam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition to idam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• raktabīja-vadha-āśritam: based on the slaying of Raktabīja
• raktabīja-vadha-āśritam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raktabīja (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + āśrita (कृदन्त; √śri/श्रि with ā, past participle ‘resting on/based on’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्तान्त-विशेषण (carita-māhātmyam प्रति)

Speakers

• Rājā (king) speaking to the sage-narrator (ṛṣi) within the Devī Māhātmyam frame

Primary Deities

• Devī

Shakti Aspects

• Devī Māhātmya as a whole; focus shifts toward Śumbha-Niśumbha episode continuation

Key Themes

• Textual colophon
• Frame dialogue
• Inquiry/śravaṇa (listening)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

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.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

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.

What is the esoteric significance?

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.