Markandeya Purana

तपो विघ्नस्य कर्तारौ कामक्रोधवशं गतौ । परित्यजत भद्रं वो ब्रह्म हि प्रचुरं बलम्॥९.

'You both, under the sway of desire and anger, have become obstacles to asceticism; abandon this, may good befall you, for Brahman is indeed of great power.'

एवमुक्तौ ततस्तेन लज्जितौ तावुभावपि । क्षमयामासतुः प्रीत्या परिष्वज्य परस्परम्॥९.

Thus addressed by him, both became ashamed, and with affection, forgiving each other, they embraced.

ततः सुरैर्वन्द्यमानो ब्रह्मा लोकं निजं ययौ । वशिष्ठोऽप्यात्मनः स्थानं कौशिकोऽपि स्वामाश्रयम्॥९.

Then, honored by the gods, Brahmā returned to his own world; Vasiṣṭha too went to his own place, and Kauśika to his own refuge.

एतदाडिबकं युद्धं हरिश्चन्द्रकथां तथा । कथयिष्यन्ति ये मर्त्याः सम्यक् श्रोष्यन्ति चैव ये॥९.

Whoever among mortals will recite or properly listen to this battle of the Āḍibakas and the tale of Hariścandra—

तेषां पापापनोदन्तु श्रुतं ह्येव करिष्यति । न चैव विघ्नकार्याणि भविष्यन्ति कदाचन॥९.

For them, hearing this will indeed remove their sins, and obstacles to their undertakings will never arise.

पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः यमकिङ्कर उवाच पतितात्प्रतिगृह्यार्थं खरयोनिं व्रजेद्द्विजः । नरकात्प्रतिमुक्तस्तु कृमिः पतितयाजकः ॥ १५.

The fifteenth chapter. Yamakiṅkara said: If a twice-born accepts anything from one fallen, he is born as a donkey; but if released from hell, the fallen sacrificer is born as a worm.

उपाध्यायव्यलीकन्तु कृत्वा श्वा भवति द्विजः । तज्जायां मनसावाञ्छन् तद्द्रव्यञ्चाप्यसंशयम् ॥ १५.

If a twice-born commits an offense against his teacher, he becomes a dog; if he desires the teacher's wife or his property in his mind, there is no doubt of this.

गर्दभो जायते जन्तुः पित्रोश्चाप्यवमानकः । मातापितरावाक्रुश्य शारिका सम्प्रजायते ॥ १५.

A creature who insults his parents is born as a donkey; if he abuses his mother and father, he is born as a myna bird.

भ्रातुः पत्न्यवमन्ता च कपोतत्वं प्रपद्यते । तामेव पीडयित्वा तु कच्छपत्वं प्रपद्यते ॥ १५.

He who insults his brother's wife becomes a pigeon; but if he harms her, he becomes a tortoise.

भर्तृपिण्डमुपाश्नन् यस्तदिष्टं न निषेवते । सोऽपि मोहसमापन्नो जायते वानरो मृतः ॥ १५.

He who eats the funeral offering of his husband but does not perform the prescribed rite, being deluded, is born as a monkey after death.

न्यासापहर्ता नरकाद्विमुक्तो जायते कृमिः । असूयकश्च नरकान्मुक्तो भवति राक्षसः ॥ १५.

He who steals a deposit, when released from hell, is born as a worm; and one who is envious, when freed from hell, becomes a demon.

विश्वासहन्ता च नरो मीनयोनौ प्रजायते । धान्यं यवांस्तिलान्माषान् कुलत्थान् सर्षपांश्चणान् ॥ १५.

A man who betrays trust is born in the womb of a fish; one who steals grain, barley, sesame, black gram, horse gram, mustard, or chickpeas—

कलायान कलमान्मुद्गान् गोधूमानतसीस्तथा । शस्यान्यन्यानि वा हृत्वा मोहाज्जन्तुरचेतनः ॥ १५.

—or who steals peas, rice, green gram, wheat, or lentils, or any other crops out of delusion, is born as an insentient creature.

सञ्जायते महावक्त्रो मूषिको बभ्रुसन्निभः । परदाराभिमर्षात्तु वृको घोरोऽभिजायते ॥ १५.

He is born as a large-mouthed mouse, tawny in appearance; but one who covets another's wife is born as a fierce wolf.

श्वा शृगालो वको गृध्रो व्याडः कङ्कस्तथा क्रमात् । भ्रातृभार्याञ्च दुर्बुद्धिर्यो धर्षयति पापकृत् ॥ १५.

A wicked man who violates his brother's wife is born, in order, as a dog, jackal, crane, vulture, snake, or heron.

पुंस्कोकिलत्वमाप्नोति स चापि नरकाच्च्युतः । सखिभार्यां गुरोर्भार्यां राजभार्याञ्च पापकृत् ॥ १५.

He attains the state of a male cuckoo after falling from hell, if he violates the wife of a friend, a teacher, or a king.

प्रधर्षयित्वा कामात्मा शूकरो जायते नरः । यज्ञदानविवाहानां विघ्रकर्ता भवेत्कृमिः ॥ १५.

After violating them out of lust, a man is born as a boar; one who disrupts sacrifices, gifts, or marriages becomes a worm.

पुनर्दात्च कन्यायाः कृमिरेवोपजायते । देवतापितृविप्राणामदत्वा योऽन्नमश्नुते ॥ १५.

One who gives away a girl and then takes her back is also born as a worm; whoever eats food without offering it to gods, ancestors, or Brahmins—

प्रमुक्तो नरकात्सोऽपि वायसः सम्प्रजायते । ज्येष्ठं पितृसमं वापि भ्रातरं योऽवमन्यते ॥ १५.

—even after being released from hell, is born as a crow; one who disrespects his eldest brother or a brother equal to his father—

नरकात्सोऽपि विभ्रष्टः क्रौञ्चयोनौ प्रजायते । शूद्रश्च ब्राह्मणरिं गत्वा कृमियोनौ प्रजायते ॥ १५.

—even after falling from hell, is born in the womb of a curlew; and a Shudra who harms a Brahmin is born in the womb of worms.

तस्यामपत्यमुत्पाद्य काष्ठान्तः कीटको भवेत् । शूकरः कृमिको मद्गुश्चण्डालश्च प्रजायते ॥ १५.

After producing offspring with her, he becomes a worm inside wood; he is born as a boar, a worm, a waterfowl, or a Chandala.

अकृतज्ञोऽधमः पुंसां विमुक्तो नरकान्नरः । कृतघ्रः कृमिकः कीटः पतङ्गो वृश्चिकस्तथा ॥ १५.

A man who is ungrateful and ignorant, after being released from hell, is born as a worm, insect, moth, or scorpion.

मत्स्यस्तु वायसः कूर्मः पुक्कसो जायते ततः । अशस्त्रं पुरुषं हत्वा नरः सञ्जायते खरः ॥ १५.

One who kills a fish, crow, or tortoise is born as an outcaste; a man who kills another without weapons is born as a donkey.

कृमिः स्त्रीवधकर्ता च बालहन्ता च जायते । भोजनं चोरयित्वा तु मक्षिका जायते नरः ॥ १५.

A killer of women or children is born as a worm; a man who steals food is born as a fly.

तत्राप्यस्ति विशेषो वै भोजनस्य शृणुष्व तत् । ह्त्वान्नन्तु स मार्जारो जायते नरकाच्च्युतः ॥ १५.

There is also a distinction regarding food—listen to this: one who steals cooked rice is born as a cat after falling from hell.

तिलपिण्याकसंमिश्रमन्नं हृत्वा तु मूषिकः । घृतं हृत्वा च नकुलः काको मद्गुरजामिषम् ॥ १५.

One who steals food mixed with sesame cake is born as a mouse; one who steals ghee becomes a mongoose; a crow is born from stealing waterfowl meat.

मत्स्यमांसापहृत्काकः श्येनो मार्गामिषापहृत् । वीचीकाकस्त्वपहृते लवणे दधनि कृमिः ॥ १५.

A crow who steals fish or meat, an osprey who steals meat from the road, and a sandpiper who steals salt or curd, are born as worms.

चोरयित्वा पयश्चापि बलाका सम्प्रजायते । यस्तु चोरयते तैलं तैलपायी स जायते ॥ १५.

One who steals milk is born as a crane; one who steals oil is born as an oil-drinker.

मधु हृत्वा नरो दंशः पूपं हृत्वा पिपीलिकः । चोरयित्वा तु निष्पावान् जायते गृहगोलकः ॥ १५.

A man who steals honey is born as a biting insect; one who steals cakes becomes an ant; one who steals split pulses is born as a house lizard.