Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 4, Shloka 14

Adhyaya 4 — Jaimini Meets the Dharmapakshis: Four Doubts on the Mahabharata and the Opening of Narayana Doctrine

Sanskrit

इति सञ्चिन्त्य मनसा न शोकं कर्तुमर्हथ ।

ज्ञानस्य फलमेतावच्छोकहर्षैरधृष्यता ॥

Transliteration

iti sañcintya manasā na śokaṃ kartum arhatha |

jñānasya phalam etāvac chokaharṣair adhṛṣyatā ||

Translation

ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਮਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਕਰਕੇ ਤੂੰ ਸ਼ੋਕ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ ਨਾ ਹੋ। ਸਮ੍ਯਕ ਗਿਆਨ ਦਾ ਇਹੀ ਫਲ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨਾ ਸ਼ੋਕ ਨਾਲ, ਨਾ ਹੀ ਹਰਖ ਨਾਲ, ਪਰਾਜਿਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-समापन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-निपात (quotative particle)

• sañcintya: having reflected
• sañcintya: Kriya (क्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-√cint (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकाल (having done); अव्ययभाव

• manasā: with the mind
• manasā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• śokam: grief
• śokam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; Accusative singular

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थ (purpose)

• arhatha: you (all) ought/are fit
• arhatha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); मध्यमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• jñānasya: of knowledge
• jñānasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन; Genitive singular

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (कर्ता/वाक्य-प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; here Nominative singular (predicate)

• etāvat: this much/so much
• etāvat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; demonstrative/quantitative adjective agreeing with फलम्

• śoka-harṣaiḥ: by grief and joy
• śoka-harṣaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + harṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• adhṛṣyatā: unassailability (not being overcome)
• adhṛṣyatā: Karta (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-√dhṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: भाववाचक-तल्/ता-प्रत्ययान्त (abstract noun); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘अधृष्यता’ = invincibility/unassailability

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed to identify the exact speaker within Adhyaya 4)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Jnana
• Vairagya (dispassion)
• Equanimity
• Ethics of self-control
• Freedom from dvandvas (pairs of opposites)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse defines a practical hallmark of jñāna: steadiness amid life’s dualities. One who has truly understood the nature of self and world does not collapse into grief nor become intoxicated by joy; ethical maturity is measured by emotional non-reactivity and inner composure.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is not primarily about sarga (creation), pratisarga (dissolution), vaṃśa (genealogy), manvantara (Manu-cycles), or vaṃśānucarita (dynastic histories). It belongs to the Purana’s didactic/ethical-philosophical instruction that accompanies and frames those narratives.

What is the esoteric significance?

Śoka and harṣa represent the dvandvas that bind consciousness to external conditions. “Adhṛṣyatā” suggests an inner inviolability: when awareness is rooted in jñāna, mental waves arise but do not ‘strike’ the core. Esoterically, it points to a yogic stabilization where the mind ceases to be commandeered by pleasure-pain reactions.