Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 57, Shloka 55

Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Sanskrit

अन्नजास्तुष्टिकाराश्च वीरहोत्रा ह्यवन्तयः ।

एते जनपदाः सर्वे विन्ध्यपृष्ठनिवासिनः ॥

Transliteration

annajāstuṣṭikārāśca vīrahotrā hyavantayaḥ / ete janapadāḥ sarve vindhyapṛṣṭhanivāsinaḥ

Translation

Ang mga Annajā, ang mga Tuṣṭikāra, ang mga Vīrahotra, at ang mga Avanti—ang lahat ng janapada na ito ay naninirahan sa mga likurang dalisdis (hinterland) ng Vindhya.

Word by Word

• annajāḥ: Annajas
• annajāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: annaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tuṣṭikārāḥ: Tushtikaras
• tuṣṭikārāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tuṣṭikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• vīrahotrāḥ: Virahotras
• vīrahotrāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrahotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• avantayaḥ: Avantayas
• avantayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avantaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• janapadāḥ: countries/regions
• janapadāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janapada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adjective (विशेषण), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन) qualifying janapadāḥ

• vindhya-pṛṣṭha-nivāsinaḥ: inhabitants of the Vindhya back-country/slopes
• vindhya-pṛṣṭha-nivāsinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vindhya (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (locative/adhikaraṇa sense: vindhya-pṛṣṭhe nivāsinaḥ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speakers

• Not Devī Māhātmya; summarizing statement within janapada catalogue.

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Geography
• Vindhya hinterland
• Summary classification

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse shows Purāṇic concern for ‘place-based identity’: peoples are understood in relation to mountains and ecological zones.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Geographical contextualization—supportive to historical/dynastic narration rather than an independent pancalakṣaṇa head.

What is the esoteric significance?

Vindhya as a symbolic ‘spine’ of the land: calling communities ‘back-slope dwellers’ encodes a cosmographic body-image of Bhārata.