Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 65, Shloka 16

Adhyaya 65 — Svarocis Enjoys on the Mountain; A Debate on Marital Fidelity and Desire

Sanskrit

एतासाञ्च यदीष्टोऽयं तत्किं प्राणान्न मुञ्चति ।

आलिङ्गत्यपरां कान्तां ध्यातो वै कान्तयाऽन्यया ॥

Transliteration

etāsāñ ca yadiṣṭo 'yaṃ tat kiṃ prāṇān na muñcati |

āliṅgaty aparāṃ kāntāṃ dhyāto vai kāntayā 'nyayā ||

Translation

ਜੇ ਉਹ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਲਈ ਸੱਚਮੁੱਚ ਚਾਹਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੁੰਦਾ, ਤਾਂ (ਕਿਸੇ ਇਕ ਲਈ) ਜਾਨ ਕਿਉਂ ਨਾ ਦੇ ਦਿੰਦਾ? ਪਰ ਇਕ ਪ੍ਰਿਆ ਦੇ ਆਲਿੰਗਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਵੀ, ਦੂਜੀ ਪ੍ਰਿਆ ਦੇ ਮਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਹੀ ਸੋਚਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• etāsām: of these (women)
• etāsām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Gen.), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-प्रदर्शक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• iṣṭaḥ: dear/beloved
• iṣṭaḥ: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (प्रधाना-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; √iṣ (धातु) से क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) अर्थे 'प्रिय/इष्ट'

• ayam: this (man)
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tat: then/that being so
• tat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात-प्रयोग (correlative particle)

• kim: why?
• kim: Hetu (हेतु/why)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• prāṇān: life-breaths/life
• prāṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), बहुवचन

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

• muñcati: releases/gives up
• muñcati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (मुच् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• āliṅgati: embraces
• āliṅgati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√liṅg (आलिङ्ग्/लिङ्ग् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• aparām: another/other
• aparām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kāntām: beloved woman
• kāntām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन

• dhyātaḥ: is meditated on/remembered
• dhyātaḥ: Pradhāna (प्रधाना/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhyāta (प्रातिपदिक; √dhyai (ध्यै धातु) से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• kāntayā: by (a) beloved (woman)
• kāntayā: Karta (कर्ता/agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr.), एकवचन

• anyayā: another
• anyayā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr.), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speakers

• Didactic narrator within the Dharmapakṣī discourse (exact speaker not named in provided verses)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Psychology of desire
• Inconstancy
• Attachment

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse exposes divided attention: sensuality multiplies craving and erodes fidelity. True love is single-pointed; lust is restless and comparative.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Falls outside formal pañcalakṣaṇa categories; it is ethical instruction (nīti/ācāra) within a narrative frame.

What is the esoteric significance?

Being ‘embraced by one while remembered by another’ symbolizes the mind’s inability to rest in one object; yogically, it is the scattering (vikṣepa) that obstructs steadiness (ekāgratā).