Shloka 1

Adhyaya 81 — Suratha and Samadhi Seek Sage Medhas; Introduction to Mahamaya and the Madhukaitabha Origin Account

Sanskrit

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणेऽशीतितमोऽध्यायः एकाशीति‍तमोऽध्यायः- ८१/

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

सावर्णिः सूर्यतनयो यो मनुः कथ्यतेऽष्टमः ।

निशामय तदुत्पत्तिं विस्ताराद्गदतो मम ॥

Transliteration

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe ’śītitamo ’dhyāyaḥ ekāśītitamo ’dhyāyaḥ- 81/ mārkaṇḍeya uvāca sāvarṇiḥ sūryatanayo yo manuḥ kathyate ’ṣṭamaḥ / niśāmaya tadutpattiṃ vistarād gadato mama

Translation

ఇట్లు శ్రీ మార్కండేయ పురాణంలోని ఎనభైవ అధ్యాయం సమాప్తమైంది. ఎనభై ఒకటవ అధ్యాయం—మార్కండేయుడు అన్నాడు: సూర్యపుత్రుడై అష్టమ మనువుగా ప్రసిద్ధుడైన సావర్ణి యొక్క ఉద్భవాన్ని నేను విశదంగా వివరిస్తాను; విను.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyopasaṃhāra (वाक्योपसंहार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotation/closure marker

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (name-title compound): ‘in the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa’

• aśītitamaḥ: eightieth
• aśītitamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśīti-tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ordinal ‘80th’ (aśīti + tama)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• ekāśītitamaḥ: eighty-first
• ekāśītitamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekāśīti-tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ordinal ‘81st’

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• sāvarṇiḥ: Sāvarṇi
• sāvarṇiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvarṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana (proper name/epithet)

• sūrya-tanayaḥ: son of the Sun
• sūrya-tanayaḥ: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; Ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘sūryasya tanayaḥ’

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• manuḥ: Manu
• manuḥ: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kathyate: is called
• kathyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ्)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Ātmanepada; passive sense ‘is said/called’

• aṣṭamaḥ: eighth
• aṣṭamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ordinal ‘eighth’

• niśāmaya: listen/consider
• niśāmaya: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ni-śam (नि-शम्)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• tat-utpattim: his origin/birth
• tat-utpattim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + utpatti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘tasya utpattim’

• vistarāt: in detail
• vistarāt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Pañcamī (Ablative/5th), Ekavacana; adverbial ‘in detail’

• gadataḥ: of (me) speaking
• gadataḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gad (गद्) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Śatṛ-present active participle, Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; ‘of me who am speaking’

• mama: my/of me
• mama: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive/6th), Ekavacana; pronoun

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya (explicit)

Primary Deities

• Sūrya

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Manvantara chronology
• Narrative transition/colophon

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic teaching is staged: first the offices and outcomes (manvantara roles), then the causes (utpatti). This mirrors dharmic inquiry—understanding not only ‘what happens’ but ‘how it comes to be’.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara (and its narrative expansion): the chapter shift signals a deeper account of the Manu who presides over a manvantara.

What is the esoteric significance?

Calling Sāvarṇi ‘son of the Sun’ hints at solar symbolism: governance, clarity, and time-measure (Sūrya as kāla-pramāṇa) underpin the manvantara framework.