Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा मार्कण्डेयं महाद्युतिम् पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठो धर्मप्रश्नं सुदुर्वचम्
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said : O best of the Bharata race, thereupon king Yudhishthira asked the most enlightened Markandeya a question that is too difficult to be understood.
श्रोतुमिच्छामि भगवन्स्त्रीणां माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् कथ्यमानं त्वया विप्र सूक्ष्मं धर्मं च तत्त्वतः
M. N. Dutt: O you that are possessed of great energy, I desire to listen to the best account of a woman's greatness, O Brahmanas, you relate to me in detail the principles of pure morality.
प्रत्यक्षेण हि विप्रर्षे देवा दृश्यन्ति सत्तम सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ वायुः पृथिवी वह्निरेव च
M. N. Dutt: O Brahmanical sages, O foremost of men, the sun, the moon, the earth and the fire look like the deities in their embodied forms.
पिता माता च भगवन्गाव एव च सत्तम यच्चान्यदेव विहितं तच्चापि भृगुनन्दन
M. N. Dutt: O holy one, O excellent one, O descendant of the Bhrigu race, the father, the mother and the preceptor-these and others, as ordained by the celestials, also appear as deities.
मन्येऽहं गुरुवत्सर्वमेकपत्न्यस्तथा स्त्रियः पतिव्रतानां शुश्रूषा दुष्करा प्रतिभाति मे
M. N. Dutt: All venerable persons are to be respected, as also the women who are devoted to one husband. The service, that chaste women offer to their husbands, seems to me to be very difficult.
पतिव्रतानां माहात्म्यं वक्तुमर्हसि नः प्रभो निरुध्य चेन्द्रियग्रामं मनः संरुध्य चानघ पतिं दैवतवच्चापि चिन्तयन्त्यः स्थिता हि याः
AI Translation: O Lord, it behoves you to describe the greatness of the chaste wives. O sinless one, those who control the group of senses and the mind, and those who abide by considering their husbands as deities,
Supplementary Passages:
3.196.6 After 6ab, Ś1 K1.2 ins.: *994 नान्यद्दैवतमित्येव स्त्रीणां भर्तुर्द्विजोत्तम
भगवन्दुष्करं ह्येतत्प्रतिभाति मम प्रभो मातापितृषु शुश्रूषा स्त्रीणां भर्तृषु च द्विज
AI Translation: Blessed Lord, this appears to me to be difficult, O Lord. Service to mother and father, O twice-born, and to wives by husbands,
स्त्रीणां धर्मात्सुघोराद्धि नान्यं पश्यामि दुष्करम् साध्वाचाराः स्त्रियो ब्रह्मन्यत्कुर्वन्ति सदादृताः दुष्करं बत कुर्वन्ति पितरो मातरश्च वै
M. N. Dutt: O Brahmanas, what the wives of good behaviours perform carefully ſin respect to their husbands) and also what the sons do to their father and mother, are indeed, highly difficult.
एकपत्न्यश्च या नार्यो याश्च सत्यं वदन्त्युत कुक्षिणा दश मासांश्च गर्भं संधारयन्ति याः नार्यः कालेन संभूय किमद्भुततरं ततः
M. N. Dutt: To those women who are attached to one lord; and those who speak the truth; and those who conceive in their womb a child for full ten months;
संशयं परमं प्राप्य वेदनामतुलामपि प्रजायन्ते सुतान्नार्यो दुःखेन महता विभो पुष्णन्ति चापि महता स्नेहेन द्विजसत्तम
M. N. Dutt: O worshipful one, women give birth to their children with great pain to themselves; and, O foremost of the Brahmanas they bring them up with great affection.
Supplementary Passages:
3.196.10 After 10, S ins.: *995 चिन्तयन्ति ततश्चापि किंशीलोऽयं भविष्यति
ये च क्रूरेषु सर्वेषु वर्तमाना जुगुप्सिताः स्वकर्म कुर्वन्ति सदा दुष्करं तच्च मे मतम्
M. N. Dutt: That the persons, who are desirous of doing evils to others and who are always engaged in cruel deeds, discharge their duties, is, in my opinion, highly difficult.
क्षत्रधर्मसमाचारं तथ्यं चाख्याहि मे द्विज धर्मः सुदुर्लभो विप्र नृशंसेन दुरात्मना
M. N. Dutt: O twice-born one, relate to me the detailed account of the virtue of the Kshatriya race. O Brahmana, the acquisition of virtue becomes very difficult for the lofty-minded ones, for they have to perform certain cruel deeds (in obedience to their racial duties).
एतदिच्छामि भगवन्प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदां वर श्रोतुं भृगुकुलश्रेष्ठ शुश्रूषे तव सुव्रत
M. N. Dutt: O worshipful one, O you that do know answer to all questions, I desire to listen to the answers that you will relate; for, O foremost of the Bhrigu race, O you of excellent vows, I always worship you.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच हन्त ते सर्वमाख्यास्ये प्रश्नमेतं सुदुर्वचम् तत्त्वेन भरतश्रेष्ठ गदतस्तन्निबोध मे
M. N. Dutt: Markandeya said : O the best of the Bharata race, I will relate to you in detail the whole history of your question, although it is too difficult to state; you listen to me, as I tell you.
मातरं सदृशीं तात पितॄनन्ये च मन्यते दुष्करं कुरुते माता विवर्धयति या प्रजाः
M. N. Dutt: Some consider the mother to be superior and some again consider the father as such. The mother, however, performs the most difficult thing; for she propagates the species.
तपसा देवतेज्याभिर्वन्दनेन तितिक्षया अभिचारैरुपायैश्च ईहन्ते पितरः सुतान्
M. N. Dutt: The fathers, too, by observing severe asceticism, by the adorations of the celestials and by chanting their praises, by undergoing the rigour of heat and cold, by repeating incantations and also by other expedients desire to possess children.
एवं कृच्छ्रेण महता पुत्रं प्राप्य सुदुर्लभम् चिन्तयन्ति सदा वीर कीदृशोऽयं भविष्यति
M. N. Dutt: O hero, thus having obtained a child after having recourse to these painful expedients, a child which is difficult of attainment, they always think what the child would do in the future.
Supplementary Passages:
3.196.17 After 17, T1 ins.: *996 ये चक्रुरेषु सर्वेषु वर्तमानजुगुप्सया
आशंसते च पुत्रेषु पिता माता च भारत यशः कीर्तिमथैश्वर्यं प्रजा धर्मं तथैव च
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of the Bharata race, both the father and the mother aspire that the son is possessed of fame and celebration, wealth and subjects, as also virtue.
Supplementary Passages:
3.196.18 After 18, S ins.: *997 मातुः पितुश्च राजेन्द्र सततं हितकारिणः
तयोराशां तु सफलां यः करोति स धर्मवित् पिता माता च राजेन्द्र तुष्यतो यस्य नित्यदा इह प्रेत्य च तस्याथ कीर्तिर्धर्मश्च शाश्वतः
M. N. Dutt: O best of kings, the son who satisfies these aspirations of the parents, is considered to be virtuous. The son, whose father and mother are always satisfied with him, establishes everlasting reputation and virtue both in this world and the next.
नैव यज्ञः स्त्रियः कश्चिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम् या तु भर्तरि शुश्रूषा तया स्वर्गमुपाश्नुते
M. N. Dutt: She needs no sacrifices, nor she is required to perform Shraddha or to observe abstinence. When the wife offers all her services to her husband. In fact, thereby he alone obtains heaven.
एतत्प्रकरणं राजन्नधिकृत्य युधिष्ठिर प्रतिव्रतानां नियतं धर्मं चावहितः शृणु
M. N. Dutt: O king, O Yudhishthira, remembering this fact, listen to the virtue of chaste women with as much attention as possible.