Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 60, Shloka 13

Adhyaya 60 — Descriptions of Kimpurusha-varsha, Hari-varsha, Ilavrita (Meru-varsha), Ramyaka, and Hiranyamaya

Sanskrit

वर्षायुतायुषस्तत्र नरास्तत्फलभोगिनः ।

रतिप्रधानविमला जरादौर्गन्ध्यवर्जिताः ॥

Transliteration

varṣāyutāyuṣas tatra narās tat-phalabhoginaḥ |

ratipradhānavimalā jarā-daurgandhya-varjitāḥ ||

Translation

There, people live for ten thousand years, enjoying the fruits and produce of that land. They are pure, naturally fond of delight, and are free from old age and foul odor.

Word by Word

• वर्षायुतायुषः: having a lifespan of ten thousand years
• वर्षायुतायुषः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ष-आयुत-आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—वर्षाणाम् आयुतम् (१०,०००) आयुः येषाम् (आयुषः = आयुष्मन्तः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तत्-फल-भोगिनः: enjoyers of its fruits
• तत्-फल-भोगिनः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् + फल + भोगिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—तस्य फलस्य भोगिनः

• रति-प्रधान-विमलाः: pure and chiefly devoted to pleasure
• रति-प्रधान-विमलाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रति + प्रधान + विमल (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः—रति-प्रधानाः (pleasure-dominant) च विमलाः (pure)

• जरा-दौर्गन्ध्य-वर्जिताः: free from old age and foul odor
• जरा-दौर्गन्ध्य-वर्जिताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा + दौर्गन्ध्य + वर्जित (कृदन्त; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; वर्जित (क्त/PPP) √वर्ज् (धातु) ‘to avoid’; द्वन्द्वसमासः—जरा च दौर्गन्ध्यं च (old age and bad smell) तयोः वर्जिताः

Speakers

• Narrative description (cosmographic narration; speaker not explicit in this verse-unit)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Utopian anthropology (ideal human conditions)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The Purāṇic geography uses idealized human conditions (long life, purity, freedom from decay) to contrast different cosmic regions and to suggest that environment and merit (puṇya) shape embodied experience.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within 'Sthāna' (cosmic arrangement/locations) and secondarily supports 'Manvantara' framing by depicting conditions across cosmic divisions, though no specific Manu is named here.

What is the esoteric significance?

Freedom from 'jarā' and 'daurgandhya' symbolically points to a sattva-dominant realm where the gross signs of decay are minimized—an imaginal map of purity rather than a purely physical ethnography.