Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 51, Shloka 23

Adhyaya 51 — Yaksha Injunctions: Graha-Children and Female Spirits Causing Domestic and Ritual Disruptions

Sanskrit

विशुद्धगेहावसथादनायासाच्च वै द्विज ।

तथैव सस्यहा चान्यः सस्यर्धिमुपहन्ति यः ॥

Transliteration

viśuddha-gehāvasathād anāyāsāc ca vai dvija / tathaiva sasya-hā cānyaḥ sasya-ṛddhim upahanti yaḥ

Translation

હે દ્વિજ! શુદ્ધ ઘર અને શુદ્ધ નિવાસસ્થાને વસવાથી તથા અતિશય તાણ-શ્રમથી મુક્ત રહેવાથી (રક્ષણ ટકે છે); તેમજ બીજો એક—જે પાક નાશ કરે છે—તે કાપણીની સમૃદ્ધિને હાનિ પહોંચાડે છે।

Word by Word

• viśuddha-geha-avasathāt: from a pure house and dwelling
• viśuddha-geha-avasathāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + geha (प्रातिपदिक) + avasatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (karmadhāraya: viśuddha-geha; then tatpuruṣa: geha-avasatha = “house-dwelling/abode”); Masculine, Ablative (5th), Singular

• anāyāsāt: from being without strain/effortlessness
• anāyāsāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anāyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/emphasis (निपात)

• dvija: O twice-born (brahmin)
• dvija: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• tathā: thus/likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• eva: just/indeed
• eva: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle of emphasis/restriction (निपात)

• sasyahā: crop-destroyer
• sasyahā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sasyahā (प्रातिपदिक; sasyam + √han (धातु) → -hā)
• Form: Upapada-tatpuruṣa (कर्म-तत्पुरुष: sasyam hanti iti); Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• anyaḥ: another
• anyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; qualifies sasyahā

• sasya-ṛddhim: the prosperity of crops
• sasya-ṛddhim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sasya (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: sasyasya ṛddhiḥ); Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• upahanti: harms/destroys
• upahanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√han (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यत्), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; refers to sasyahā

Speakers

• Dharmic instruction (addressee: ‘dvija’ indicates a didactic address)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Householder conduct
• Prosperity ethics
• Non-harm
• Purity of residence

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Material well-being (especially agrarian prosperity) is tied to ethical restraint and ordered living; harming communal sustenance (crops) is singled out as a direct attack on collective welfare.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ancillary dharma teaching (ācāra/niyama) rather than a pancalakṣaṇa core category.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Crops’ can be read as the yield of one’s actions; the ‘crop-destroyer’ is any habit that undermines the maturation of merit (puṇya) and stability (śrī).