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MARKAiVDEYA. A sage, the son of Mrika^uh, and reputed author of the Marka7i6?eya PuraTia. He was remarkable for his austerities and great age, and is called Dirghayus, 'the long-lived.' MARKAA^DEYA PURAA^A. "That Purawa in which, commencing with the story of the birds that were acquainted with right and wrong, everything is narrated fully by Mar- 'kandejsi as it was explained by holy sages in reply to the question of the Muni, is called the Markawf^eya, containing 9000 verses." This Purawa is narrated in the first place by MliTkandeja, and in the second by certain fabulous birds pro- foundly versed in the Vedas, who relate their knowledge in answer to the questions of the sage Jaimini. " It has a character different from all the other Pura?ias. It has nothing of a sectarial spirit, little of a religious tone ; rarely inserting prayers and invocations to any deity, and such as are inserted are brief and moderate. It deals little in precepts, ceremonial or moral Its leading feature is narrative, and it presents an un- interrupted succession of legends, most of which, when ancient, are embellished with new circumstances, and, when new, par- take so far of the spirit of the old, that they are disinterested creations of the imagination, having no particular motive, being designed to recommend no special doctrine or observance. Whether they are derived from any other source, or whether they are original inventions, it is not possible to ascertain. They are most probably, for the greater part at least, original ; 204 MARTTANDA—MARUTS, and the whole has been narrated in the compiler's own manner, a manner superior to that of the Pura?ias in general, with ex- ception of the Bhagavata." The popular Durga Mahatmya or Cha?26?ipa/ha is an episode of this Pura?m. In the absence of any guide to a positive conclusion as to the date, it may con- jecturally be placed in the ninth or tenth century. Professor Banerjea places it in the eighth century. This Pura?ia has been published in the Bihliotheca Indica, and translated by the Rev. Professor K. M. Banerjea. MARTTANDA. In the Yedas the sun or sun god. MARTYA-MUKHA. 'Human-faced.' Any being in which the figures of a man and animal are combined. MARUTS. The storm gods, who hold a very prominent place in the Yedas, and are represented as friends and allies of Indra. Yarious origins are assigned to them. They are sons of Rudra, sons and brothers of Indra, sons of the ocean, sons of heaven, sons of earth. They are armed with lightnings and thunderbolts, and "ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm." The number of them is said in one place to be thrice sixty, and in another only twenty-seven. In the Ramaya?ia they are repre- sented to have their origin in an unborn son of Diti, whom Indra dashed into forty-nine pieces with his thunderbolt, and in compassion converted into Maruts. This is also the storj'- told in the Purawas, and they are said to have obtained their name from the words md rodih, *weep not,' which Indra ad- dressed to them. A scholiast on the Yeda says, that after their birth from Diti, as above told, /S'iva and Parvati beheld them in great affliction, and the latter asked Siva to transform the lumps of flesh into boys ; he accordingly made them boys of lil^e form, like age, and similarly accoutred, and gave them to Parvati as her sons, Avhence they are called the sons of Rudra. Other legends are, that Parvati, hearing the lamentations of Diti, entreated iS'iva to give forms to the shapeless births, telling them not to weep (md rodlh) ; and another, that he actually begot them in the form of a bull on Prithivi, the earth, as a cow. (See Diti.) AU these legends have manifestly been invented to explain those passages of the Yedas Avhich make the Maruts the sons of Rudra. The world of the Maruts, called IMiiruta, is the appointed heaven of Yai^yas. 2. The god of the wind, and regent of the north-west quarter. MARUTTA—MATANGA. 205 IMARUTTA. I. A descendant of Manu Yaivaswata. He was a Cliakravarti, or universal monarcli, and performed a celebrated sacrifice. " Never," says the Visli7iu Pura?za, " was beheld on earth a sacrifice equal to the sacrifice of Marutta. All the im- plements and utensils were made of gold. Indra was intoxicated with the libations of soma juice, and the Brahmans were en- raptured with the magnificent donations they received. The winds of heaven encompassed the rite as guards, and the assembled gods attended to behold it." According to the Vayu PuraTia, Marutta was taken to heaven with his kindred and friends by Samvarta, the officiating priest at this sacrifice. But the Mar- ka?zc?eya Pura?ia says he was killed after he had laid down his crown and retired to the woods. 2. A king of the Solar race, who was killed by Vapushmat, and fearfully avenged by his son Dama (q.v.). MATALI Charioteer of Indra. MATANGA. 'An elephant.' A man who was brought up as a Brahman but was the son of a Cha?^c?ala. His story, as told in the Maha-bharata, relates that he was mercilessly goading an ass's foal which he was driving. The mother ass, seeing this, tells her foal that she could expect no better, for her driver was no Brahman but a Cha?Z(^ala. Matanga, addressing the ass as *' most intelligent," begged to know how this was, and was in- formed that his mother when intoxicated had received the embraces of a low-born barber, and that he, the offspring, was a Cha?Z(r/ala and no Brahman. In order to obtain elevation to the position of a Brahman, he went through such a course of aus- terities as alarmed the gods. Indra refused to admit him. He persevered again for a hundred years, but still Indra persistently refused such an impossible request, and advised him to seek some other boon. Nothing daunted, he went on a thousand years longer, with the same result. Though dejected he did not despair, but proceeded to balance himself on his great toe. He continued to do this for a hundred years, when he was reduced to mere skin and bone, and was on the point of falling. Indra went to support him, but inexorably refused his request, and, when further importuned, " gave him the power of moving about like a bird, and changing his shape at will, and of being honoured and renowned." In the Ramayawa, Rama and Sita visited the hermitage of Matanga near ^ishya-miika mountain. 2o6 MATART-SWAN—MATSYA PURAAA. MATARI--S^VA]S'. An aerial being who is represented in the i?ig-veda as bringing down or producing Agni (fire) for the Bhngus. By some supposed to be the wind. MATHUEA. An ancient and celebrated city on the right bank of the Yamuna, surviving in the modern Muttra. It was the birthplace of Krisli7ia and one of the seven sacred cities. The Vishmi PuraTia states that it was originally called Madhu or ]\Iadhu-vana, from the demon Madliu, who reigned there, but that when Lavawa, his son and successor, was killed by /S'atru- ghna, the conqueror set up his oa^ti rule there and built a city which he called Madliura or Mathura. MATii/S. ' Mothers ' The divine mothers. These appear to have been originally the female energies of the great gods, as Brahma?a of Brahma, Maheswarl of iS'iva, Yaish??avi of Yislmu, Indrawi or Aindrl of Indra, &c. The number of them was seven or eight or sixteen, but in the later mythology they have increased out of number. They are connected with the Tantra worship, and are represented as worshipping ^Siva and attending upon his son Kartikeya. MATSYA. 'A fish.' i. The Fish Incarnation. (iS'^e Avatara.) 2. Name of a country. Wilson says, "Dinajpoor, Rungpoor, and Cooch Behar ;" but there was more than one country of this name, and one would appear to have been situated in Northern India. Manu places Matsya in Brahmarshi. According to the Maha-bharata, King Yira/a's capital was called Matsya, his people also were called Matsyas, and he himself was styled Matsya. General Cunningham finds it in the neighbourhood of Jaypur, and says that the town of Yira^ or Baira/, 105 miles south of Dcllii, was its capital. MATSYA PURAYA. This Purawa is so called from its con- tents having been narrated to Manu by Yish7m in the form of a fish [mafsya). It consists of between 14,000 and 15,000 stanzas. This work " is a miscellaneous compilation, but includes in its contents the elements of a genuine Purilwa. At the same time, it is of too mixed a character to be considered as a genuine work of the PaurarJk class. Many of its chapters are the same as parts of the Yishwi and Padma Puriiwas.