Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 77, Shloka 25
Adhyaya 77 — Sanjna’s Withdrawal from Surya: The Birth of Yama and Yamuna, and the Emergence of Chhaya
छायासंज्ञा त्वपत्येषु यथा स्वेष्वतिवत्सला ।
तथा न संज्ञाकन्यायां पुत्रयोश्चान्ववर्तत ॥
chāyāsaṃjñā tv apatyeṣu yathā sveṣv ativatsalā /
tathā na saṃjñākanyāyāṃ putrayoś cānvavartata
Si Chāyā—(bagaman tinatawag na) Saṃjñā—ay labis na mapagmahal sa sarili niyang mga anak; ngunit hindi niya ipinakita ang gayong pag-ibig sa anak na babae at sa (mas nakatatandang) mga anak na lalaki ni Saṃjñā.
FAQs
Parental/guardian impartiality is a core dharmic expectation; partial affection becomes a moral fault that provokes conflict and karmic consequences, especially when it harms dependents.
Vaṃśānucarita: the narrative explains behavioral causes leading to later events in the lineage (Yama’s curse).
‘Shadow’ love (chāyā-vatsalya) clings to what is ‘mine’; it symbolizes egoic attachment that cannot extend equally to what is not self-identified, generating saṃskāra-driven conflict.