Markandeya Purana

The Markandeya Purana (Sanskrit: मार्कण्डेय पुराण; IAST: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas.^[1]^[2] The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu mythology, who is the central character in two legends, one linked to Shiva and other to Vishnu.^[3] The Markandeya text is one of the Puranas that lacks a sectarian presentation of ideas in favor of any particular god,^[2]^[3] and it is rare to read any deity being invoked or deity prayers in the entire text.^[4]^[5]

The Markandeya Purana is probably one of the oldest in Purana genre of Hindu Literature, among the most interesting and important, states Ludo Rocher.^[2] It is famous for including the Devi Mahatmya within it, the oldest known treatise on Devi (Goddess) as the Supreme Truth and Creator Of The Universe.^[2]^[3]^[6] The text is considered as a central text of the Hindu Goddess-related Shaktism tradition, with an extraordinary expression of reverence for the feminine.^[6]^[7] The Markandeya Purana's Devi Mahatmya is often ranked in some Hindu traditions to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita.^[8]

The extant manuscripts of this Purana have 137 chapters, of which chapters 81 through 93 is the Devi Mahatmya.^[9] Tradition and some medieval era texts assert that the Markandeya Purana has 9,000 verses, but surviving Manuscripts have about 6,900 verses.^[10] 2,100 verses were transferred to Devi Bhagavatam. The text presents a diverse range of topics,^[1]^[11]^[12] with socio-cultural information and symbolism for Vedic ideas and Metaphysical Thought.^[13]

^ ^a ^b Dalal 2014, p. 246.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rocher 1986, pp. 191–192.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lochtefeld 2002, p. 426.
^ Dutt 1896, p. 4.
^ Wilson 1864, p. LVII.
^ ^a ^b Coburn 1988, pp. 1–23.
^ Brown 1998, pp. 1–4.
^ Rocher 1986, p. 193.
^ Rocher 1986, p. 191.
^ Wilson 1864, p. LIV.
^ Rocher 1986, pp. 191–194.
^ Gietz 1992, p. 354, with note 1948
^ Gietz 1992, p. 803, with note 4538

[FOOTNOTEDalal2014246-1] Dalal 2014, p. 246.

[FOOTNOTERocher1986191–192-2] Rocher 1986, pp. 191–192.

[FOOTNOTELochtefeld2002426-3] Lochtefeld 2002, p. 426.

[FOOTNOTEDutt18964-4] Dutt 1896, p. 4.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1864LVII-5] Wilson 1864, p. LVII.

[FOOTNOTECoburn19881–23-6] Coburn 1988, pp. 1–23.

[FOOTNOTEBrown19981–4-7] Brown 1998, pp. 1–4.

[FOOTNOTERocher1986193-8] Rocher 1986, p. 193.

[FOOTNOTERocher1986191-9] Rocher 1986, p. 191.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1864LIV-10] Wilson 1864, p. LIV.

[FOOTNOTERocher1986191–194-11] Rocher 1986, pp. 191–194.

[FOOTNOTEGietz1992354-12] Gietz 1992, p. 354, with note 1948

[FOOTNOTEGietz1992803-13] Gietz 1992, p. 803, with note 4538

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