Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 57, Shloka 47

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

Sanskrit

आभीराः सह वैशिक्या आढक्याः शबराश्च ये ।

पुलिन्दा विन्ध्यमौलेया वैदर्भा दण्डकैः सह ॥

Transliteration

ābhīrāḥ saha vaiśikyā āḍhakyāḥ śabarāśca ye / pulindā vindhyamauleyā vaidarbhā daṇḍakaiḥ saha

Translation

Kaum Ābhīra bersama kaum Vaiśikya; kaum Āḍhakya dan Śabara; kaum Pulinda, para penghuni Vindhya, serta rakyat Vidarbha, beserta kaum Daṇḍaka.

Word by Word

• आभीराः: Ābhīras (a tribe/people)
• आभीराः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आभीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सह: with
• सह: Sahakāraka (सहकारक/Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह-योगे तृतीया-सम्बन्धः (indeclinable ‘with’, governs instrumental)

• वैशिक्याः: Vaiśikyās (a people)
• वैशिक्याः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशिक्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• आढक्याः: Āḍhakyās (a people)
• आढक्याः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आढक्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• शबराः: Śabaras (a tribe)
• शबराः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शबर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction ‘and’)

• ये: who/which (those)
• ये: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• पुलिन्दाः: Pulindas (a tribe)
• पुलिन्दाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलिन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विन्ध्यमौलेयाः: Vindhya-Mauleyas (people of the Vindhya Mauleyas)
• विन्ध्यमौलेयाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य + मौलेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘विन्ध्यस्य मौलेयाः’

• वैदर्भाः: Vaidarbhas (people of Vidarbha)
• वैदर्भाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैदर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दण्डकैः: with the Daṇḍakas (people of Daṇḍaka)
• दण्डकैः: Sahakāraka (सहकारक/Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सह: with
• सह: Sahakāraka (सहकारक/Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह-योगे तृतीया-सम्बन्धः (indeclinable ‘with’)

Speakers

• Not from Devī Māhātmya; chapter functions as a descriptive catalogue (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt; commonly within Purāṇic narration to an inquirer).

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Geography
• Ethnography
• Janapada lists
• Vindhya regions

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The passage is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive; its takeaway is the Purāṇic impulse to map sacred history onto real landscapes by naming communities and regions within Bhārata.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This aligns most closely with Vaṃśānucarita/Itihāsa-contextual material and ancillary ‘bhū-gola/janapada’ description; it is not sarga/pratisarga proper, but a supporting geographical catalogue used across Purāṇas.

What is the esoteric significance?

Catalogues of peoples can be read as a ‘mandala’ of human diversity within dharma’s sphere—integrating forest, frontier, and settled regions into a single civilizational map.