Shloka 3

Adhyaya 32 — Sankhya Philosophy

Sanskrit

त्रीन् मासान् हारिणां मांसं विज्ञेयं पितृतृप्तये ।

चतुर्मासांस्तु पुष्णाति शशस्य पिशितं पितॄन् ॥

Transliteration

trīn māsān hāriṇāṃ māṃsaṃ vijñeyaṃ pitṛtṛptaye / caturmāsāṃs tu puṣṇāti śaśasya piśitaṃ pitṝn

Translation

मृगमांसं त्रिमासान् पितॄन् तर्पयतीति श्रूयते। शशमांसं चतुर्मासान् पितॄन् पोषयति तर्पयति च।

Word by Word

• त्रीन्: three
• त्रीन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective)

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• हारिणाम्: of deer
• हारिणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• मांसम्: meat
• मांसम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• विज्ञेयम्: is to be understood (as)
• विज्ञेयम्: Vidhana (विधान/Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु) → विज्ञेय (कृदन्त)
• Form: भाव्य/अनुज्ञार्थक-कर्तव्यता (gerundive/तव्यत्-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ज्ञेयम्’ = “to be known/considered”

• पितृ-तृप्तये: for the satisfaction of the ancestors
• पितृ-तृप्तये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Dative purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां तृप्तिः)

• चतुर्मासान्: four months
• चतुर्मासान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (चत्वारः मासाः)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• पुष्णाति: nourishes/satisfies
• पुष्णाति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शशस्य: of the hare/rabbit
• शशस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पिशितम्: flesh
• पिशितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (manes)
• पितॄन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speakers

• Dharmic instruction within the Markandeya Purana’s didactic discourse (speaker not explicit in the provided extract)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Pitṛ-pūjā
• Śrāddha
• Ritual dietetics

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse frames śrāddha as an intentional act: offerings are evaluated by their capacity to generate ‘tṛpti’ (contentment) for ancestors. Ethically, it emphasizes careful choice and ritual responsibility rather than indulgence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This passage is primarily ‘Vṛtti/Dharma-śāstra’ material embedded in Purāṇic teaching; it does not directly map to Sarga/Pratisarga/Vaṃśa/Manvantara/Vaṃśānucarita, though Purāṇas commonly include such dharma-upadeśa as ancillary instruction.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Months of satisfaction’ symbolically encode gradations of ritual efficacy: the offering is not merely material but a carrier of saṃskāra (ritual potency), with different substances representing different ‘weights’ of nourishment in the subtle ancestral economy.