Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 14, Shloka 33

Adhyaya 14 — The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments

Sanskrit

अकुर्वन् पापकं कर्म पुण्यं वाप्यवतिष्ठते ।

यद्यत्प्राप्नोति पुरुषो दुःखं सुखमथापि वा ॥

Transliteration

akurvan pāpakaṃ karma puṇyaṃ vāpy avatiṣṭhate / yad yat prāpnoti puruṣo duḥkhaṃ sukham athāpi vā

Translation

Kung hindi nakagawa ng masamang gawa—o maging ng mabuting gawa man—hindi nananatili ang sinuman upang danasin ang bunga. Anuman ang matamo ng tao, dusa man o ligaya, ay mula sa karma (gawa).

Word by Word

• अकुर्वन्: not doing
• अकुर्वन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक (negated) ‘not doing’

• पापकम्: sinful/evil
• पापकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; adjective to कर्म

• कर्म: deed/action
• कर्म: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as object/goal implied

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अप्यर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• अवतिष्ठते: remains/abides
• अवतिष्ठते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlating relative ‘whatever’

• यत्: each whatever
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; repetition for distributive sense

• प्राप्नोति: attains/obtains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पुरुषः: a man/person
• पुरुषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दुःखम्: sorrow/pain
• दुःखम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सुखम्: happiness/pleasure
• सुखम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अथ: then/and
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/and)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अप्यर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

Speakers

• Unclear from provided excerpt (later addresses 'rājan')

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Moral causality
• Karma
• Pleasure/pain

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The text asserts karmic determinacy: experiences of happiness or suffering are not causeless but trace back to one’s deeds (including mental and verbal acts by implication).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Dharma/karma instruction; ancillary to purāṇic narrative rather than a lakṣaṇa section.

What is the esoteric significance?

This frames the cosmos as ethically intelligible: ‘fate’ is the maturation of prior intention and action, preserving a moral order (ṛta/dharma) across time.