ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at myths of Sūrya (the Sun) in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, including Sūrya’s family (Saṃjñā, Chāyā, Yama, Manu, Śani and Tapatī), and his relationship to the Vedic gods Brahma, Aditi and Viṣvakarman. It argues for regarding these myths as māhātmya literature, paralleling the much more famous Devī Māhātmya which glorifies the Hindu Great Goddess Durgā. It demonstrates a Saura–Śākta sectarian symbiosis at play in the compositional strategies producing these Sanskrit texts. It also discusses the way in which these texts both privilege the duty of the Indian king, pravṛtti dharma, and the cosmic function of preservation.
