Markandeya Purana
The Markandeya Purana is one of eighteen[1] major collections, or Puranas, of ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts dealing with Indian history, philosophy and traditions. The Markandeya Purana is considered to be "Smriti" (remembered by ordinary human beings and attributed to an author). Other Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas are considered to have been heard and transmitted through direct knowledge by accomplished and enlightened sages and seers (called "rishis"); those texts are not "Smriti" but instead are categorized as "Śruti".[2]
The Markandeya Purana is believed to have been composed between 250 CE and 550 CE. It consists of 137 chapters in all, which are narrated by a sage (rishi) called Markandeya, who is a well-known character in the ancient Puranas.
Thirteen of the Markandeya Purana's chapters( 81-93) are known as the Durga Saptashati (English: 700 Verses), but also sometimes called the "Devi Mahatmya", "Chandi Paath", or "the Chandi".[3][4] The 700 Verses describes the victory of the Goddess Durga (symbolic for a person's innermost power) over various evil influences. Along with Bhagavata Purana, and Shakta Upanishads such as the Devi Upanishad, the 700 Verses is one of the most important texts of Shaktism (goddess) tradition within Hinduism.[5] A ritualistic reading of the 700 Verses is part of the Navratri celebrations in India in the honor of the Goddess Durga. Because all of it is in verse, the text has been referred to as a divine song.
Chapter 8 of the 700 Verses consists of the well-known 32 Names of Durga mantra.
The 700 Verses also includes the Devi Argalā Stotram (Hymn to Goddess to Remove Impediments), and the first version of the Devi Argalā Stotram is the well-known Om Jayanti Maṅgalā Kālī mantra.
Notes
- ↑ The eighteen "Maha Puranas" (major collections) are: Vishnu, Naradiya, Padma, Garuda, Varaha, Bhagavata, Matsya, Kurma, Linga, Shiva, Skanda, Agni, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavishya, Vamana, Brahma.
- ↑ Shruti on Encyclopedia Britannica online, last access 12/28/2022.
- ↑ Shri Durga Saptashati, a description of the "700 Verses", as well as the full text for its 13 chapters, on drik Panchang©, Hindu Calendar for the World; last access 12/28/2022
- ↑ How a centuries old epic shaped the spiritual backbone of Navratri, an article about the "700 Verses" on Firstpost.com, an online media website in Mumbai; last access 12/29/2022
- ↑ (2014) Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0816054589.