Shloka 18

Adhyaya 28 — Alarka Inquires into Varna and Ashrama Dharma; Madalasa Defines the Fourfold Duties

Sanskrit

ततोऽसमानाॠषिकुलां तुल्यां भार्यामरोगिणीम् ।

उद्वहेन्न्यायतोऽव्यङ्गां गृहस्थाश्रमकारणात् ॥

Transliteration

tato 'samānarṣikulāṃ tulyāṃ bhāryām arogīṇīm /

udvahen nyāyato 'vyaṅgāṃ gṛhasthāśramakāraṇāt //

Translation

Thereafter, for the sake of establishing the householder āśrama, he should lawfully marry a wife of comparable standing, not from the same ṛṣi-lineage (gotra), healthy, and free from bodily defect.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक/अपादानार्थक (then/from that)

• a-samāna-ṛṣi-kulām: (a wife) not of unequal sage-lineage (i.e., of comparable family)
• a-samāna-ṛṣi-kulām: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + samāna (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ṛṣi-kula = ṛṣīṇāṃ kulam) + कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (samāna-ṛṣi-kula = samānaṃ ṛṣi-kulam) + नञ्-समास (a-samāna = not equal)

• tulyām: equal/suitable
• tulyām: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• bhāryām: a wife
• bhāryām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• a-rogiṇīm: healthy (not diseased)
• a-rogiṇīm: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + rogiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/निषेध (negation)

• udvahet: should marry/should take in marriage
• udvahet: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√vah (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• nyāyataḥ: according to proper rule
• nyāyataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nyāyataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त क्रियाविशेषण (ablatival adverb: 'according to rule/justice')

• a-vyaṅgām: without deformity
• a-vyaṅgām: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + vyaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/निषेध

• gṛhastha-āśrama-kāraṇāt: for the sake of the householder stage
• gṛhastha-āśrama-kāraṇāt: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhastha (प्रातिपदिक) + āśrama (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (gṛhasthasya āśramaḥ) + तत्पुरुषः (āśrama-kāraṇa = āśramasya kāraṇam)

Speakers

• Dharma-instruction narrative voice (contextual teacher-speaker within Markandeya Purana’s didactic discourse)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Marriage (vivāha)
• Gṛhastha-āśrama
• Social ethics

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Household life is treated as a dharmic institution requiring lawful procedure and thoughtful compatibility. The mention of gotra-exogamy and fitness underscores social order and responsibility.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ācāra-dharma guidance within Purāṇic discourse; not one of the five cosmological-historical lakṣaṇas.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘lawful’ (nyāyataḥ) marriage implies alignment of desire with dharma—transforming personal life into a support for yajña, lineage, and inner purity.