Shloka 18

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Consolation to the King: Exempla of Rāma and the Efficacy of Allies (मार्कण्डेयाश्वासनम्)

Devanagari script

उपवासरतिर्धीमान्‌ सदा जप्यपरायण: । तमेव कालमातिष्ठत्‌ तीव्रं तप उदारधी:,उनका भी उपवासमें ही प्रेम था। बुद्धिमान्‌ एवं उदारबुद्धि विभीषण सदा जप किया करते थे। उन्होंने भी उतने समयतक तीव्र तपस्या की

Transliteration

upavāsaratir dhīmān sadā japyaparāyaṇaḥ | tameva kālam ātiṣṭhat tīvraṁ tapa udāradhīḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Er fand Gefallen am Fasten; weise und standhaft war er stets der Disziplin der heiligen Rezitation (japa) ergeben. Mit edlem Verständnis hielt er eben jene Zeit in strenger Askese durch.“

Word by Word

• उपवास-रतिḥ: delight in fasting
• उपवास-रतिḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास-रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• धीमान्: wise
• धीमान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• जप्य-परायणः: devoted to (recitation of) japa
• जप्य-परायणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप्य-परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कालम्: time/period
• कालम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आतिष्ठत्: he undertook/observed
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तीव्रम्: intense
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उदार-धीः: noble-minded
• उदार-धीः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदार-धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds disciplined spiritual practice—fasting, mantra-recitation, and sustained austerity—as expressions of dharma and inner steadiness, emphasizing constancy (sadā) and wholehearted commitment (parāyaṇa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a person characterized by love of fasting and continual japa, who observes an intense period of tapas for the same duration previously indicated in the surrounding narrative.