Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 42, Shloka 12

Adhyaya 42 — Dattatreya on the Yogic Import of Oṃ (Praṇava): Matras, Worlds, and Liberation

Sanskrit

मात्रा तृतीया चिच्छक्तिरर्धमात्रा परं पदम् ।

अनेनैव क्रमेणैता विज्ञेया योगभूमयः ॥

Transliteration

mātrā tṛtīyā cicchaktirardhamātrā paraṃ padam /

anenaiva krameṇaitā vijñeyā yogabhūmayaḥ

Translation

mātrā ທີສາມແມ່ນພະລັງແຫ່ງຈິດຮູ້ (cit-śakti); ຄື່ງ mātrā ແມ່ນສະພາບສູງສຸດ. ຕາມລຳດັບນີ້ ສິ່ງເຫຼົ່ານີ້ຄວນຮູ້ວ່າເປັນຂັ້ນ/ພື້ນຖານຂອງຍະໂຍຄະ.

Word by Word

• मात्रा: mora/measure
• मात्रा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular

• तृतीया: third
• तृतीया: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; ordinal qualifying 'मात्रा'

• चित्: consciousness
• चित्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine/Neuter abstract, Nominative Singular; first member in compound

• शक्तिः: power
• शक्तिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; with previous forms 'cicchaktiḥ'

• अर्ध: half
• अर्ध: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter stem used as first member in compound

• मात्रा: half-mora
• मात्रा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular; 'ardhamātrā'

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative Singular; qualifies 'पदम्'

• पदम्: state/abode/position
• पदम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative Singular

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• क्रमेण: in order; sequentially
• क्रमेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental Singular

• एताः: these
• एताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Feminine, Nominative Plural

• विज्ञेयाः: should be known
• विज्ञेयाः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√jñā (धातु)
• Form: Gerundive/obligative participle (तव्यत्/अनीयर् sense; here -ेय), Feminine, Nominative Plural; predicate: 'are to be known'

• योग: yoga
• योग: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine stem as first member in compound

• भूमयः: stages/grounds
• भूमयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Plural; with previous forms 'yogabhūmayaḥ'

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided extract (didactic narration within Markandeya Purana’s philosophical instruction)

Verse Rasa

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

Shakti Aspects

• Cit-Śakti (as an abstract
• non-iconic śakti principle; not a Devi Mahatmya episode)

Key Themes

• Yoga stages
• Cit-śakti
• Turīya-like transcendence
• Praṇava mātrā

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Spiritual growth is staged: from articulated practice to subtler consciousness-power, culminating in the supreme state beyond expression—encouraging patience, method, and inner maturation.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

A mokṣa-oriented doctrinal passage (upāsanā/yoga) rather than cosmological or genealogical narration.

What is the esoteric significance?

Identifying a mātrā with ‘cit-śakti’ implies mantra is not inert sound but awakened awareness. The ‘ardha-mātrā’ as paraṃ padam signifies the silent transcendence into which even sacred sound resolves.