Shloka 5

Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas

Sanskrit

मन्वन्तरप्रमाणञ्च इत्येतत् साधिकं विना ।

अष्टौ शतसहस्राणि दिव्यया संख्यया स्मृतम् ॥

Transliteration

manvantarapramāṇañ ca ity etat sādhikaṃ vinā | aṣṭau śatasahasrāṇi divyayā saṃkhyayā smṛtam

Translation

देवमान गणनेन, ‘साधिक’ (अतिरिक्त) भाग वगळून, मन्वंतराचे हे परिमाण आठ लक्ष असे स्मरणात आहे.

Word by Word

• मन्वन्तर-प्रमाणम्: the measure/extent of a manvantara
• मन्वन्तर-प्रमाणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (मन्वन्तरस्य प्रमाणम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स-अधिकम्: inclusive (with the addition)
• स-अधिकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद 'स' = 'सहितम्' (with, inclusive)

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय/उपपद (without; governs तृतीया)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक (agreeing with implied 'सहस्राणि')

• शत-सहस्राणि: hundred-thousands (i.e., 100,000s)
• शत-सहस्राणि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (शतानां सहस्राणि = hundred-thousands)

• दिव्यया: divine
• दिव्यया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषण (saṃkhyayā)

• संख्यया: by number/count
• संख्यया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is stated/recorded
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is stated/remembered’

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Time conversion (human vs divine measure)
• Manvantara arithmetic

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Different scales of time are not contradictions but pedagogical frames: the same cosmic order is narrated to match the listener’s capacity.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: technical specification of duration, including how the ‘added’ interval is treated in reckoning.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Divine count’ implies a perspective shift: when consciousness is elevated, what seems immeasurably long becomes a graspable unit—time is relative to the knower.