Markandeya Purana starts at Section 182 (English version) of Book 3.
When the Pandavas are in exile at the Kamyaka forest, the
saint Markandeya arrives at their court soon after Lord Krishna arrives.
Markandeya is said to be thousand years old, but looked like he was only 25.
Krishna requests Markandeya to instruct everyone present about the “eternal
rules of righteous conduct”. At about this time, Narada also arrives and joins
the audience.
Yudhishtra starts with a set of questions. “How is it that
we are in this exile whereas the evil sons of Dhritarashtra are flourishing? Do
men reap the fruits of their actions? If so, what has God to do with it? Do the
actions of men follow them only in this life or do they follow them in
subsequent births? Is what we experience in this life a consequence of our
actions in this life? Or is it from the prior birth? If actions follow men from
birth to birth, where do they rest when the person is dead?”
Markandeya says that Brahma, the Lord of lives on earth
sprang from the original Source (Brahman) created noble human beings initially.
They were of virtuous character, lived for thousands of years and
could go back and forth between the celestial sphere and the earth. Over the
course of time they were confined to earth only because of their own greed,
anger, lust, falsehood and senselessness. They went to the netherworld,
suffered and were born again on earth, repeating the same mistakes.
The destiny of every creature is determined by its actions
in this world. At the end of this life, accumulated effects of actions stay
with the subtle body (sukshma sarira)
when the physical body (sthula sarira)
is worn away. It enters another body immediately for “it never remains non-existent
even for a single moment”. To understand this point, one has to know a little
about Samkhya philosophy.
According to this system, when the physical body dies, the
10 subtle principles (five sensory, five organs of action and the mind) stay on
as subtle body and enter another physical body. They need to do this until one
of two things happen: 1. After repeated births and deaths, gets washed of all
karma by acquisitions of true knowledge and merges with the original Source (attains
Moksha) or 2. Never attains Moksha and merges naturally with the Source at the
end of one cosmic cycle, called Pralaya.
Markandeya says: “Some attain happiness in this world; not
in the next. They are those of immense wealth who indulge in worldly pleasures
without any other thought. Some attain happiness in the next; but not in this
world. They are those who focus on the study of the Vedas and meditation,
ascetic in nature while performing their duties even while straining their
body, who have subdued their passions and who practice non-violence (ahimsa). Those who attain happiness in
this and in the next world are those who practice virtuous and pious lives,
earn wealth by virtuous means (dharma)
and use it according to dharma in
their married life (grahastashrama)
by supporting others and performing sacrifices etc. Finally, there are those
who do not attain happiness in this or the next world. They do not learn the
scriptures, do not practice charity and indulge in all sorts of pleasures".
There is a passage in the story of Atri as told by
Markandeya that the co-operation between Kshatriya and the Brahmana is powerful and is
necessary for keeping the social order. It says that the Kshatriya keeps the order, but it is
the Brahmana who gives support and power to the kshatriya. They are compared to the fire
burning a forest with the help of the wind. The relationship between the ruling class and the priestly class is known in all cultures. The priests gave legitimacy to the kings by being the mediator between the divine and the human.
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