Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 34, Shloka 18

Adhyaya 34 — Madālāsā’s Instruction on Sadācāra (Householder Conduct, Purity, and Daily Rites)

Sanskrit

पूर्वां सन्ध्यां सनक्षत्रां पश्चिमां सदिवाकराम् ।

उपासीत यथान्यायं नैनां जह्यादनापदि ॥

Transliteration

pūrvāṃ sandhyāṃ sanakṣatrāṃ paścimāṃ sadivākarām |

upāsīta yathānyāyaṃ naināṃ jahyādanāpadi ||

Translation

তারাগণ দৃশ্যমান থাকিতে প্রাতে বিধিপূর্বক সন্ধ্যা করিবে, এবং সূর্য বিদ্যমান থাকিতে সায়ং সন্ধ্যাও করিবে। বিপদের সময় ব্যতীত সন্ধ্যা ত্যাগ করিবে না।

Word by Word

• pūrvām: the earlier (evening)
• pūrvām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); viśeṣaṇa of sandhyām

• sandhyām: twilight (sandhyā)
• sandhyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• sa-nakṣatrām: with stars
• sa-nakṣatrām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय, सहार्थक उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + nakṣatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; avyayībhāva: 'with stars', qualifying sandhyām

• paścimām: the later (morning)
• paścimām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of sandhyām (understood)

• sa-divākarām: with the sun
• sa-divākarām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + divākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; avyayībhāva: 'with the sun', qualifying (paścimāṃ) sandhyām

• upāsīta: should worship/attend upon
• upāsīta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-ās (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• yathā-nyāyam: as prescribed; properly
• yathā-nyāyam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + nyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva adverbial: 'according to rule/propriety'

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-particle (निषेध)

• enām: her/this (sandhyā)
• enām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; sarvanāma-prayoga

• jahyāt: should abandon
• jahyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Madhyama puruṣa (2nd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada; 'should abandon'

• an-āpadi: in the absence of emergency
• an-āpadi: Kāla/avasthā (काल/अवस्था)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āpada (प्रातिपदिक) with nañ (नञ्)
• Form: Avyayībhāva (locative-sense adverb): 'when there is no calamity'; from āpadi (सप्तमी एकवचन) with negation

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided excerpt; within an Ācāra/discipline instruction passage of Markandeya Purāṇa

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "dharma", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Nitya-karma
• Sandhyā-vandana
• Discipline

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Regular daily worship (nitya-karma) stabilizes the mind and anchors one in dharma; it is not optional except under genuine crisis.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Not a pancalakṣaṇa topic (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to ācāra-dharma instruction embedded within the Purāṇa.

What is the esoteric significance?

Twilight junctions (sandhyā) are liminal times; the verse emphasizes aligning one’s inner rhythm with cosmic transitions (stars-to-sun; sun-to-night).