Shloka 34

Adhyaya 46 — The Continents

Sanskrit

चतुर्युगानां संख्याता साधिका ह्येकसप्ततिः ।

मन्वन्तरं तस्य संख्यां मानुषाब्दैर्निबोध मे ॥

Transliteration

caturyugānāṃ saṃkhyātā sādhikā hy eka-saptatiḥ | manvantaraṃ tasya saṃkhyāṃ mānuṣābdair nibodha me ||

Translation

Ein Manvantara wird als einundsiebzig Caturyuga (mit einem Zusatz) gerechnet. Lerne von mir seine Zahl in Menschenjahren.

Word by Word

• चतुर्युगानाम्: of the four-yugas
• चतुर्युगानाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘of four-yugas’ (caturyuga)

• संख्याता: counted/numbered
• संख्याता: विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; agrees with (संख्या) understood

• साधिका: with an addition
• साधिका: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘with an excess/plus’

• हि: indeed
• हि: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• एकसप्ततिः: seventy-one
• एकसप्ततिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + सप्तति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्या (71)

• मन्वन्तरम्: the manvantara
• मन्वन्तरम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Accusative singular

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• संख्याम्: the number
• संख्याम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मानुषाब्दैः: by human years
• मानुषाब्दैः: करण (Karana/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural ‘by human years’

• निबोध: understand; learn
• निबोध: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: from me / to me
• मे: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic); here दत्तिवाचक (to me)

Speakers

• Cosmological instruction within the Markandeya Purāṇa’s teaching narrative (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Yuga
• Manvantara
• Chronology

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Scriptural time is taught with precision to orient ritual and worldview; the lesson is disciplined understanding (jñāna) of cosmic order rather than speculation.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara (measure of Manu-periods) with supporting cosmological arithmetic tied to yuga-structure (part of sarga-time framework).

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Sādhikā’ hints at transitional ‘sandhyā/sandhyāṃśa’ junctures—thresholds where order resets—symbolizing liminal phases in both cosmos and inner practice.