Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 27

Mārkaṇḍeya-varṇanam

The Description of Mārkaṇḍeya

Devanagari script

दैवे युगसहस्रे द्वे ब्राह्मः कल्पौ तु तौ नृणाम् । एकसप्ततिसंख्यातैर्दिव्यैर्मन्वन्तरं युगैः ॥ २७ ॥

Transliteration

daive yugasahasre dve brāhmaḥ kalpau tu tau nṛṇām | ekasaptatisaṃkhyātairdivyairmanvantaraṃ yugaiḥ || 27 ||

Translation

Dois mil yugas divinos constituem, segundo a contagem humana, um kalpa de Brahmā (Brāhma‑kalpa). E um manvantara é medido por setenta e um yugas divinos desse tipo.

Word by Word

• दैवे: in/with divine (measure)
• दैवे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (युगसहस्रे)

• युग-सहस्रे: in a thousand yugas
• युग-सहस्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (युगानां सहस्रम्)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण (कल्पौ)

• ब्राह्मः: of Brahmā / Brahmic
• ब्राह्मः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (कल्पौ)

• कल्पौ: two kalpas
• कल्पौ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/contrast)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Anuvartaka (अनुवर्तक/Resumptive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• नृणाम्: of men/humans
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एक-सप्तति-संख्यातैः: numbered as seventy-one
• एक-सप्तति-संख्यातैः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + सप्तति (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (एकसप्ततिसंख्या येषां ते)

• दिव्यैः: divine
• दिव्यैः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (युगैः)

• मन्वन्तरम्: a manvantara
• मन्वन्तरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• युगैः: by yugas
• युगैः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Manu

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It places human history within vast divine time cycles, encouraging detachment from fleeting worldly concerns and alignment with dharma across cosmic rhythms.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By emphasizing the immensity of cosmic time, it implicitly redirects the seeker from temporary achievements to enduring refuge—steady devotion to the Supreme beyond kalpas and manvantaras.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects Jyotiṣa-style time-reckoning (kāla-māna): standardized measures of yuga, manvantara, and kalpa used for calendrical, ritual, and cosmological computations.