Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 43, Shloka 50

Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship

Sanskrit

पिपीलिकाखु-नकुल-गृहगोधा-कपिञ्जलाः ।

वसन्ति स्वामिवद् गेहे ध्वस्ते यान्ति ततोऽन्यतः ॥

Transliteration

pipīlikākhu-nakula-gṛhagodhā-kapiñjalāḥ | vasanti svāmivad gehe dhvaste yānti tato 'nyataḥ ||

Translation

Ants, mice, mongooses, house-lizards, and partridges dwell in a house as if they were its owners; when it is ruined, they go elsewhere.

Word by Word

• pipīlikā-khu-nakula-gṛha-godhā-kapiñjalāḥ: ants, mice, mongooses, house-lizards, and partridges
• pipīlikā-khu-nakula-gṛha-godhā-kapiñjalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pipīlikā (प्रातिपदिक) + khu (प्रातिपदिक) + nakula (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha-godhā (प्रातिपदिक; gṛha + godhā) + kapiñjala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (list of creatures)

• vasanti: live, dwell
• vasanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• svāmi-vat: like the master
• svāmi-vat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svāmin (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तद्धितान्त-अव्यय (वत्) — adverbial 'like/as (their) master'

• gehe: in the house
• gehe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; अधिकरण

• dhvaste: when (it is) destroyed
• dhvaste: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhvasta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) < dhvaṃs (धातु/भाव)
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; 'when (it is) destroyed'—gehe इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• yānti: go
• yānti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tataḥ: from there, then
• tataḥ: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'from there/thereupon'

• anyataḥ: elsewhere
• anyataḥ: Gati/Desha (गति/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'elsewhere/to another place'

Speakers

• Didactic narrator (address to a king implied by immediate context)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Vairāgya
• Impermanence
• Non-ownership
• House/body analogy

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Creatures (and humans) easily develop a sense of ownership over temporary shelters. Wisdom is to recognize impermanence and not cling.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Not pancalakṣaṇa; it is moral-philosophical instruction supporting yoga (vairāgya).

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘house’ can be read as the body; beings that ‘inhabit’ it (habits, identifications) disperse at its fall. The yogin trains to dis-identify before that collapse.