Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 53, Shloka 3

Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas

Sanskrit

मार्कण्डेय उवाच—

मन्वन्तराणां संख्याता साधिका ह्येकसप्ततिः ।

मानुषेण प्रमाणेन शृणु मन्वन्तरं च मे ॥

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca— manvantarāṇāṃ saṃkhyātā sādhikā hy ekasaptatiḥ | mānuṣeṇa pramāṇena śṛṇu manvantaraṃ ca me

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: The Manvantaras are counted as seventy-one (and more). Hear from me the measure of a Manvantara in human reckoning.

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु; वच्)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• manvantarāṇām: of the Manvantaras
• manvantarāṇām: Sambandha/Ṣaṣṭhī (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive Plural

• saṃkhyātā: counted/numbered
• saṃkhyātā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃkhyāta (कृदन्त; सम्+√khyā 'ख्या' past participle)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; agrees with (eka)saptatiḥ

• sādhikā: with an extra (one)
• sādhikā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādhikā (प्रातिपदिक; 'with an addition')
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; agrees with saptatiḥ

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) giving emphasis/reason

• eka-saptatiḥ: seventy-one
• eka-saptatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + saptati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; number 'seventy-one'

• mānuṣeṇa: by human (standard)
• mānuṣeṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental Singular, Neuter/Masculine; qualifies pramāṇena

• pramāṇena: by measure/standard
• pramāṇena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental Singular

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु; श्रु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• manvantaram: the Manvantara
• manvantaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• me: from me / my
• me: Sambandha/Ṣaṣṭhī (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी) or Dative (4th/चतुर्थी) Singular enclitic; here genitive 'of me/from me'

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Time cycles
• Manvantara enumeration

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic cosmology trains the mind to think in vast cycles, relativizing personal time and encouraging steadiness (dhairya) and long-view dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara proper: numerical accounting of the Manu-epochs and their temporal measure.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Human measure’ versus divine measure hints at layered realities: the same truth is scaled differently for different levels of consciousness and being.