Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 43, Shloka 16
Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship
रक्तकृष्णाम्बरधरा गायन्ती हसती च यम् ।
दक्षिणाशान्नयेन्नारी स्वप्ने सोऽपि न जीवति ॥
raktakṛṣṇāmbaradharā gāyantī hasatī ca yam / dakṣiṇāśānnayennārī svapne so 'pi na jīvati
Kung sa panaginip ay may babaeng nakasuot ng pulang at itim—umaawit at tumatawa—na umaakay sa isang tao patungo sa timog, siya man ay hindi na mabubuhay nang matagal (nalalapit ang kamatayan).
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FAQs
The verse depicts death as an unavoidable summons; its ethical use is to provoke wakefulness—live in a way that leaves no unfinished harm, debt, or neglected duty.
Ancillary omen-literature; not among the five defining Purāṇic topics.
The laughing, singing guide represents māyā’s seductive pull even at the threshold; red-black suggests rajas-tamas dominance and the terrifying/liminal aspect of transition toward Yama’s quarter.