Shloka 1

Adhyaya 38 — Dattatreya on Non-Identification (Mamata) and the Path to Liberation

Sanskrit

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे पितापुत्रसंवादे आत्मविवेको नाम सप्तत्रिंशोऽध्यायः । अष्टत्रिंशोऽध्यायः । जड उवाच ।

दत्तात्रेयं ततो विप्रं प्रणिपत्य स पार्थिवः ।

प्रत्युवाच महात्मानं प्रश्रयावनतो वचः ॥

Transliteration

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe pitāputrasaṃvāde ātmaviveko nāma saptatriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ | aṣṭatriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ | jaḍa uvāca |

dattātreyaṃ tato vipraṃ praṇipatya sa pārthivaḥ |

pratyuvāca mahātmānaṃ praśrayāvanato vacaḥ ||

Translation

Ainsi, dans le Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, au sein du dialogue du père et du fils, s’achève le chapitre nommé « Ātmaviveka » (Discernement du Soi). Commence maintenant le trente-huitième chapitre. Jaḍa dit : Alors ce roi, s’étant incliné devant le brahmane Dattātreya, répondit à cette grande âme par des paroles humbles et pleines de vénération.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), उद्धरण-समाप्त्यर्थे

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + mārkaṇḍeya + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mārkaṇḍeyasya purāṇam) + उपपद-पूर्वपद ‘śrī’ (honorific)

• pitā-putra-saṃvāde: in the dialogue of father and son
• pitā-putra-saṃvāde: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + putra + saṃvāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (pitā ca putraś ca) + तत्पुरुष (pitāputrayor saṃvādaḥ)

• ātma-vivekaḥ: Self-discrimination (discernment of the Self)
• ātma-vivekaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Nāmadheya (नामधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman + viveka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ātmanaḥ vivekaḥ)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), नामनिर्देशार्थे

• saptatriṃśaḥ: thirty-seventh
• saptatriṃśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptatriṃśat (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal sense)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Nāmadheya (नामधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aṣṭatriṃśaḥ: thirty-eighth
• aṣṭatriṃśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭātriṃśat (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal sense)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• jaḍaḥ: Jaḍa (name)
• jaḍaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• dattātreyam: Dattātreya
• dattātreyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dattātreya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anukrama (काल/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्ययीभावार्थे/क्रमे (thereupon)

• vipram: the brahmin (sage)
• vipram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘dattātreyam’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• praṇipatya: having bowed down
• praṇipatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-ṇi-pat (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pārthivaḥ: the king
• pārthivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘saḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• pratyuvāca: replied
• pratyuvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahātmānam: the great-souled one
• mahātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (mahān ātmā yasya saḥ)

• praśraya-avanataḥ: bowed in humility
• praśraya-avanataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praśraya + avanata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (praśrayena avanataḥ = bowed with humility)

• vacaḥ: words; speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

Speakers

• Jaḍa (king/disciple) to Dattātreya (sage/teacher)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Guru–śiṣya dialogue
• Ātmaviveka
• Humility before instruction

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The teaching is framed as a disciplined transmission: the seeker approaches the guru with praṇipāta (bowing) and praśraya (humility), establishing fitness to receive liberating insight.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily ‘Vaṃśānucarita’/didactic narrative usage rather than cosmology: a purāṇic instruction-setting (upadeśa) embedded in story-frame, not a sarga/pratisarga/manvantara focus here.

What is the esoteric significance?

The outer act of bowing symbolizes inner surrender of ego (ahaṅkāra), which the coming verses explicitly diagnose as the seed of ‘mama’ (mine-ness).