Markandeya Purana

गाग्ं परिकरं बद्ध्वा शुल्कमादाय चाधिकम् । स्कन्धे भर्तारमादाय जगाम मृदुगामिनी॥१६.

Tied up her garments, took extra payment, and, carrying her husband on her shoulder, the gentle-moving woman set out.

निशि मेघास्तृते व्योम्नि चलद्विद्युत्प्रदर्शिते । राजमार्गे प्रियं भर्तुश्चिकीर्षन्ती द्विजाङ्गना॥१६.

At night, with the sky covered by clouds and flashes of lightning, the twice-born woman, wishing to please her husband, walked along the royal road.

पथि शूले तथा प्रोतमचौरं यौरशङ्कया । माण्डव्यमतिदुः खार्तमन्धकारेऽथ स द्विजः॥१६.

On the path, impaled on a stake, was a thief, suspected of theft; Māṇḍavya, suffering greatly in the darkness, was there, that twice-born.

पत्नीस्कन्धे समारूढश्चालयामास कौशिकः । पादावमर्षणात् क्रुद्धो माण्डव्यस्तमुवाच ह॥१६.

With her husband mounted on her shoulder, Kauśika moved along; Māṇḍavya, angry from the pain in his feet, spoke to him.

येनाहमेवमत्यर्थं दुः खितश्चालितः पदा । दशां कष्टामनुप्राप्तः स पापात्मा नराधमः॥१६.

'By whom I have been so greatly distressed and shaken by the feet, and have reached this terrible condition—that sinful, vile man—'

सूर्योदयेऽवशः प्राणैर्विमोक्ष्यति न संशयः । भास्करालोकनादेव स विनाशमवाप्स्यति॥१६.

'At sunrise, he will lose his life, without doubt; merely by seeing the sun, he will meet his destruction.'

तस्य भार्याततः श्रुत्वा तं शापमतिदारुणम् । प्रोवाच व्यथिता सूर्यो नैवोदयमुपैष्यति॥१६.

Hearing that dreadful curse upon her husband, his wife, distressed, said, 'The sun will not rise.'

ततः सूर्योदयाभावादभवत् सन्तता निशा । बहून्यहः प्रमाणानि ततो देवा भयं ययुः॥१६.

Then, because the sun did not rise, night continued unbroken; for many days this persisted, and the gods became fearful.

निः स्वाध्यायवषट्कार-स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जितम् । कथं नु खल्विदं सर्वं न गच्छेत् संक्षयं जगत्॥१६.

Without recitation, oblations, offerings to ancestors and gods—how can all this not bring destruction to the world?

अहोरात्रव्यवस्थाया विना मासर्तुसंक्षयः । तत्संक्षयान्न त्वयने ज्ञायेते दक्षिणोत्तरे॥१६.

Without the division of day and night, the months and seasons would not come to an end; and without their completion, the southern and northern courses would not be known.

विना चायनविज्ञानात् कालः संवत्सरः कुतः । संवत्सरं विना नान्यत् कालज्ञानं प्रवर्तते॥१६.

And without knowledge of these courses, how could the year, which is time, be understood? Without the year, no other knowledge of time proceeds.

पतिव्रताया वचसा नोद्गच्छति दिवाकरः । सूर्योदयं विना नैव स्त्रानदानादिकाः क्रियाः॥१६.

By the word of the devoted wife, the sun does not rise; and without sunrise, acts such as bathing, giving gifts, and others are not performed.

नाग्नेर्विहरणञ्चैव क्रात्वभावश्च लक्ष्यते । नैवाप्ययनमस्माकं विना होमेन जायते॥१६.

Without the movement of fire, the performance of sacrifices is not observed; nor does our course proceed without the offering of oblations.

वयमाप्यायिता मर्त्यैर्यज्ञभागैर्यथोचितैः । वृष्ट्या ताननुगृह्णीमो मर्त्यान् शस्यादिसिद्धये॥१६.

We too are nourished by mortals with proper shares of sacrifice; and with rain, we favor mortals for the attainment of crops and the like.

निष्पादितास्वोषधीषु मर्त्या यज्ञैर्यजन्ति नः । तेषां वयं प्रयच्छामः कामान् यज्ञादिपूजिताः॥१६.

Mortals worship us with sacrifices using the plants they have produced; and being honored by sacrifice and the like, we grant them their desires.

अधो हि वर्षाम वयं मर्त्याश्चोर्ध्वप्रवर्षिणः । तोयवर्षेण हि वयं हविर्वर्षेण मानवाः॥१६.

We send rain down below, and mortals offer upwards; for we with water, and humans with oblations, each offer in their own way.

ये नास्माकं प्रयच्छन्ति नित्यनैमित्तकीः क्रियाः । क्रतुभागं दुरात्मानः स्वयञ्चाश्नन्ति लोलुपाः॥१६.

Those wicked ones who do not offer us the regular and occasional rites, but greedily consume the sacrificial portion themselves—

विनाशाय वयं तेषां तोयसूर्याग्निमारुतान् । क्षितिञ्च सन्दूषयामः पापानामपकारिणाम्॥१६.

For the destruction of such sinful wrongdoers, we corrupt their water, sun, fire, wind, and earth.

दुष्टतोयादिभोगेन तेषां दुष्कृतकर्मिणाम् । उपसर्गाः प्रवर्तन्ते मरणाय सुदारुणाः॥१६.

By consuming corrupted water and the like, for those who perform evil deeds, fierce calamities arise, leading to death.

ये त्वस्मान् प्रीणयित्वा तु भुञ्जते शेषमात्मना । तेषां पुण्यान् वयं योकान् विदधाम महात्मनाम्॥१६.

But those who, having pleased us, partake of the remainder themselves—we grant them blessed worlds, for they are noble souls.

तन्नास्ति सर्वमेवैतद्विनैषां व्युष्टिसंस्थैतम् । कथं नु दिनसर्गः स्यादन्योऽन्यमवदन् सुराः॥१६.

Indeed, none of this exists without the establishment of the day; how then could the creation of the day occur? Thus the gods spoke among themselves.

तेषामेव समेतानां यज्ञव्युच्छित्तिशङ्किनाम् । देवानां वचनं श्रुत्वा प्राह देवः प्रजापतिः॥१६.

As the assembled gods, fearing the cessation of sacrifice, heard these words, the god Prajapati spoke to them.

तेजः परं तेजसैव तपसा च तपस्तथा । प्रशाम्यतेऽमरास्तस्माच्छृणुध्वं वचनं मम॥१६.

Power is subdued only by greater power, and austerity by greater austerity; therefore, O immortals, listen to my words.

पतिव्रताया माहात्म्यान्नोद्गच्छति दिवाकरः । तस्य चानुदयाद्धानिर्मर्त्यानां भवतां तथा॥१६.

By the greatness of the devoted wife, the sun does not rise; and because he does not rise, hunger afflicts mortals and you as well.

तस्मात् पतिव्रतामत्रेरनुभूयां तपस्विनीम् । प्रसादयत वै पत्नीं भानोरुदयकाम्यया॥१६.

Therefore, approach that devoted and ascetic wife, and propitiate the wife of Bhanu, so that the sun may rise.

पुत्र उवाच तैः सा प्रसादिता गत्वा प्रोहेष्टं व्रियतामिति । अयाचन्त दिनं देवा भवत्विति यथा पुरा॥१६.

The son said: Having gone to her, they propitiated her, saying, 'Let the day be as before, let the sunrise occur as before.'

अनसूयोवाच पतिव्रताया माहात्म्यं न हीयेत कथन्त्विति । संमान्य तस्मात् तां साध्वीमहः स्त्रक्ष्याम्यहं सुराः॥१६.

Anasuya said: 'How could the greatness of a devoted wife be diminished? Therefore, honoring that virtuous woman, I shall create the day, O gods.'

यथा पुनरहोरात्र-संस्थानमुपजायते । यथा च तस्याः स्वपतिर्न साध्व्या नाशमेष्यति॥१६.

Just as the cycle of day and night arises again, so too, the husband of a virtuous woman will never come to ruin.

पुत्र उवाच एवमुक्त्वा सुरांस्तस्या गत्वा सा मन्दिरं शुभा । उवाच कुशलं पृष्टा धर्मं भर्तुस्तथात्मनः॥१६.

The son said: Having spoken thus, that auspicious lady went to her residence, and after being asked about her well-being, she inquired about the righteousness of her husband and herself.