Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 57, Shloka 16

Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Sanskrit

तैः पीयन्ते सरित्श्रेष्ठा यास्ताः सम्यङ्निबोध मे ।

गङ्गा सरस्वती सिन्धुश्चन्द्रभागा तथापरा ॥

Transliteration

taiḥ pīyante saritśreṣṭhā yās tāḥ samyaṅ nibodha me / gaṅgā sarasvatī sindhuś candrabhāgā tathāparā

Translation

എന്നിൽ നിന്നു ശരിയായി കേൾക്കുക—പാനയോഗ്യമായ ജലം ഉള്ള ശ്രേഷ്ഠ നദികൾ: ഗംഗ, സരസ്വതി, സിന്ധു, ചന്ദ്രഭാഗാ എന്നിവയും മറ്റും।

Word by Word

• तैः: by them
• तैः: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-रूप (taiḥ)

• पीयन्ते: are drunk
• पीयन्ते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सरित्-श्रेष्ठाः: the best of rivers
• सरित्-श्रेष्ठाः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Determinative: 'श्रेष्ठाः सरिताम्'), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• याः: which (rivers)
• याः: कर्ता (Subject; relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Relative pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ताः: those (rivers)
• ताः: कर्ता (Subject; correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Demonstrative pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सम्यक्: properly, well
• सम्यक्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (Adverb)

• निबोध: understand, learn
• निबोध: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: from me / to me (i.e., as I tell you)
• मे: सम्प्रदान (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative singular; enclitic 'me')

• गङ्गा: Ganga
• गङ्गा: कर्ता (Apposition/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvati
• सरस्वती: कर्ता (Apposition/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सिन्धुः: Sindhu (Indus)
• सिन्धुः: कर्ता (Apposition/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चन्द्रभागा: Chandrabhaga
• चन्द्रभागा: कर्ता (Apposition/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भागा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Determinative; river-name), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: and also
• तथा: सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ-क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable: 'thus/also')

• अपराः: others
• अपराः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying: 'others' [rivers])

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided excerpt (continuation of a didactic narration listing rivers)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Geography
• Tirtha
• Sacred Rivers
• Purificatory waters

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic geography is presented as a dharmic map: knowing and honoring sacred waters supports purity (śauca) and pilgrimage culture, linking landscape with merit (puṇya).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within Vaṃśānucarita/Manvantara-adjacent descriptive material and Purāṇic ‘bhūgolika’ (cosmographic-geographic) cataloguing; it is not a sarga/pratisarga passage but a tīrtha-geography listing used across Purāṇas.

What is the esoteric significance?

Rivers function as outward symbols of inner cleansing: the ‘drinkable’ waters indicate assimilation of purity—taking in sattva and washing away pāpa through contact with sacred flow.