Shloka 14

Adhyaya 73 — The Uttama Manvantara: Classes of Devas, Indra Sushanti, and the Royal Lineage

Sanskrit

तृतीयमेतत्कथितं तव मन्वन्तरं मया ।

तामसस्य चतुर्थन्तु मनोरन्तरमुच्यते ॥

Transliteration

tṛtīyam etat kathitaṃ tava manvantaraṃ mayā | tāmasasya caturthaṃ tu manor antaram ucyate ||

Translation

Dieses dritte Manvantara habe ich dir dargelegt; doch das vierte Zeitintervall des Manu wird als das des Tāmasa bezeichnet.

Word by Word

• तृतीयम्: third
• तृतीयम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; here predicate/attribute to ‘एतत् (मन्वन्तरम्)’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: कर्म/विषय (Topic/object of ‘कथितम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; refers to the manvantara just described

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: क्रिया (Predicative; passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कथ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; agrees with ‘एतत्’

• तव: to you/your
• तव: सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (Recipient/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• मन्वन्तरम्: manvantara
• मन्वन्तरम्: विषय (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; apposition to ‘एतत्’

• मया: by me
• मया: कर्ता (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• तामसस्य: of Tāmasa
• तामसस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; qualifies ‘मन्वन्तरम्’ understood

• चतुर्थम्: fourth
• चतुर्थम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; predicate to ‘(मन्वन्तरम्)’

• तु: but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/पुनरुक्ति-निपात (but/indeed)

• मनोर्: of Manu
• मनोर्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• अन्तरम्: the interval/period
• अन्तरम्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; subject of ‘उच्यते’

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speakers

• Puranic narrator addressing a listener (frame-speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Key Themes

• Manvantara enumeration
• Cosmic chronology

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic narration teaches by ordered sequence: understanding dharma and history requires seeing where one stands in a larger, staged unfolding of time.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: it explicitly counts and transitions between Manu-eras.

What is the esoteric significance?

The shift to ‘Tāmasa’ signals a qualitative modulation of cosmic conditions—purāṇic time is not only quantitative (counts) but also qualitative (guṇa-colored epochs).