Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 27, Shloka 17

Adhyaya 27 — Madalasa's Teaching III

Sanskrit

काककोकिलभृङ्गाणां मृगव्यालशिखण्डिनाम् ।

हंसकुक्कुटलोहानां शिक्षेत चरितं नृपः ॥

Transliteration

kāka-kokila-bhṛṅgāṇāṃ mṛga-vyāla-śikhaṇḍinām | haṃsa-kukkuṭa-lohānāṃ śikṣeta caritaṃ nṛpaḥ ||

Translation

Dapat matutuhan ng hari ang angkop na asal at gawi mula sa uwak, kukuko, bubuyog, usa, mababangis na hayop, pabo real, sisne, tandang, at mula sa bakal (ang tibay nito).

Word by Word

• काककोकिलभृङ्गाणाम्: of crows, cuckoos, and bees
• काककोकिलभृङ्गाणाम्: Adhikaraṇa/Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काक + कोकिल + भृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: काक-कोकिल-भृङ्ग (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• मृगव्यालशिखण्डिनाम्: of deer, beasts of prey, and peacocks
• मृगव्यालशिखण्डिनाम्: Adhikaraṇa/Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + व्याल + शिखण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: मृग-व्याल-शिखण्डिन् (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• हंसकुक्कुटलोहानाम्: of swans, cocks, and iron
• हंसकुक्कुटलोहानाम्: Adhikaraṇa/Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस + कुक्कुट + लोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: हंस-कुक्कुट-लोह (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• शिक्षेत: should learn
• शिक्षेत: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शिक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चरितम्: conduct/behavior
• चरितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; √चर् + क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (past participial noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Kartr̥ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speakers

• Didactic narrator within rājadharma teaching (frame-speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Rājadharma
• Observation of nature
• Practical ethics

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse recommends ‘learning from the world’: rulers should cultivate situational intelligence by observing diverse temperaments—sweet speech, vigilance, industriousness, caution, power, display, discernment, alertness, and firmness.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Didactic rājadharma material; not a direct instance of sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita.

What is the esoteric significance?

The menagerie functions as a symbolic catalog of faculties: speech (kokila), opportunism/vigilance (kāka), disciplined labor (bhṛṅga), prudence (mṛga), force (vyāla), majesty (śikhaṇḍin), discrimination (haṃsa), readiness (kukkuṭa), and unbending resolve (loha).