Shloka 47

Adhyaya 35 — Madālasa’s Instruction on Purity, Impurity, and Corrective Rites (Śauca and Aśauca)

Sanskrit

सपिण्डानां सपिण्डस्तु मृते 'न्यस्मिन्मृतो यदि ।

पूर्वाशौचसमाख्यातैः कार्यास्त्वत्र दिनैः क्रियाः ॥

Transliteration

sapiṇḍānāṃ sapiṇḍas tu mṛte 'nyasmin mṛto yadi | pūrvāśauca-samākhyātaiḥ kāryās tv atra dinaiḥ kriyāḥ ||

Translation

സപിണ്ഡ ബന്ധുക്കളിൽ മുൻ ആശൗചം നിലവിലിരിക്കെ മറ്റൊരു സപിണ്ഡൻ മരിച്ചാൽ, ഇവിടെ പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്ന കർമ്മങ്ങൾ മുൻ ആശൗചത്തിൽ എണ്ണപ്പെട്ട ദിവസങ്ങൾക്കനുസരിച്ച് തന്നെ നിർവഹിക്കണം।

Word by Word

सपिण्डानाम्of sapinda relatives

सपिण्डःa sapinda (relative)

तुbut

मृतेwhen (one) has died

अन्यस्मिन्in another (case/person)

मृतःdies / is dead

यदिif

पूर्वprevious

अशौचimpurity

समाख्यातैःby those (days) declared for the previous impurity

कार्याःare to be performed

तुindeed/but

अत्रhere

दिनैःwith days / by days

क्रियाःrites/acts

Speakers

Dharma-instruction within the Markandeya Purana’s didactic discourse (speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

Compound mourning periodsSapiṇḍa dharmaRitual calendricsAśauca continuity rules

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The system prevents endless disruption: overlapping deaths are handled by reference to an existing impurity-cycle, maintaining ritual coherence and social functionality.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ācāra/dharma instruction embedded in the purāṇa.

What is the esoteric significance?

Aśauca is treated like a single ‘field condition’; additional events within it do not create a new field but are absorbed into the existing liminal interval.