Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 10, Shloka 20

Adhyaya 10 — Jaimini’s Questions on Birth, Death, Karma, and the Embodied Journey

Sanskrit

गर्भदुःखान्यनेकानि बालत्वे यौवने तथा ।

वृद्धतायां तथाप्तानि तानि सर्वाणि संस्मरे ॥

Transliteration

garbha-duḥkhāny anekāni bālatve yauvana tathā | vṛddhatāyāṃ tathāptāni tāni sarvāṇi saṃsmare ||

Translation

गर्भ में अनेक दुःख, और वैसे ही बाल्यावस्था व युवावस्था में, तथा वृद्धावस्था में जो प्राप्त होते हैं—उन सबको मैं स्मरण करता हूँ।

Word by Word

• गर्भदुःखानि: pains of pregnancy/womb-life
• गर्भदुःखानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गर्भस्य दुःखानि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (neuter nom/acc pl)

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with गर्भदुःखानि)

• बालत्वे: in childhood
• बालत्वे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• यौवने: in youth
• यौवने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध-बोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारार्थक (likewise)

• वृद्धतायाम्: in old age
• वृद्धतायाम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध-बोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-समुच्चयार्थक (likewise)

• आप्तानि: attained/undergone
• आप्तानि: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्म-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘आप्त’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (neuter nom/acc pl)

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (accusative plural)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तानि)

• संस्मरे: I remember, I recollect
• संस्मरे: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present indicative), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (1st person singular); परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Son (within the embedded story); reported by the birds

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Saṃsāra
• Life-stage suffering
• Memory of births
• Vairāgya
• Mokṣa motivation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Suffering pervades every life stage; therefore, worldly life cannot be made permanently secure. The recollection is used as a spur to seek the sorrowless state indicated earlier (Brahman, mokṣa).

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Didactic mokṣa-teaching within narrative; not directly sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita.

What is the esoteric significance?

Recollection (smaraṇa) functions as viveka (discriminative insight): by surveying the full arc of embodied pain, the aspirant disengages from hope in saṃsāra and turns to the unaging, unborn reality.