Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 52, Shloka 15

Adhyaya 52 — The Manifestation of Nilalohita (Rudra) and the Allocation of His Names, Abodes, Consorts, and Lineages

Sanskrit

श्रियञ्च देवदेवस्य पत्नी नारायणास्य या ।

आयातिर्नियतिश्चैव मेरोः कन्ये महात्मनः ॥

Transliteration

śriyañ ca devadevasya patnī nārāyaṇāsya yā | āyātir niyatiś caiva meroḥ kanye mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

At si Śrī—na asawa ni Nārāyaṇa, ang Diyos ng mga diyos. Gayundin, sina Āyāti at Niyati ay ang dalawang anak na babae ni Meru na dakila ang loob.

Word by Word

• śriyam: Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śriyam: Karma (कर्म) / object of implied 'āhuḥ/viduḥ' (elliptic listing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (श्री) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• deva-devasya: of the Lord of gods
• deva-devasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular; tatpuruṣa: 'of the god of gods'

• patnī: wife
• patnī: Karta (कर्ता) / predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (पत्नी) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular; predicate/apposition to śrī (understood)

• nārāyaṇasya: of Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता) (relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Feminine, Nominative singular; refers to patnī/śrī

• āyātiḥ: Āyāti
• āyātiḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• niyatiḥ: Niyati
• niyatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निपात)

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular

• kanye: two daughters
• kanye: Karta (कर्ता) (dual subject in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative dual (प्रथमा द्विवचन)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• mahātmanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular; adjective qualifying meroḥ (Meru)

Speakers

• Narratorial genealogical discourse (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• Meru

Shakti Aspects

• Śrī (Lakṣmī) explicitly

Key Themes

• Consort theology
• Personified abstractions (Niyati)
• Sacred geography (Meru)
• Genealogy

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇas often encode metaphysics through kinship: prosperity (Śrī) is inseparable from Nārāyaṇa, and ‘niyati’ (ordered necessity) is presented as a cosmic principle embedded in the world’s very ‘family’ structure.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Vaṁśa: listing divine consorts and progeny; also touches on Sarga-style cosmological personifications (e.g., Niyati) though still within genealogical cataloging.

What is the esoteric significance?

By naming Niyati as a ‘daughter of Meru,’ necessity/destiny is symbolically ‘anchored’ to the cosmic axis (Meru), implying that order is structural, not accidental.