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

Ensuite, afin d’établir l’āśrama du maître de maison, il doit, selon le dharma, épouser une épouse de rang comparable, non issue du même gotra (lignée de ṛṣi), saine et sans défaut corporel.

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.