Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 10, Shloka 1

Adhyaya 10 — Jaimini’s Questions on Birth, Death, Karma, and the Embodied Journey

Sanskrit

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे … नाम नवमोऽध्यायः ।

दशमोऽध्यायः ।

जैमिनिरुवाच—

संशयं द्विजशार्दूलाः प्रब्रूत मम पृच्छतः ।

आविर्भावतिरोभावौ भूतानां यत्र संस्थितौ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe … nāma navamo 'dhyāyaḥ |

daśamo 'dhyāyaḥ |

jaiminir uvāca—

saṃśayaṃ dvijaśārdūlāḥ prabrūta mama pṛcchataḥ |

āvirbhāva-tirobhāvau bhūtānāṃ yatra saṃsthitau ||

Translation

Như vậy, chương thứ chín của Thánh thư Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (kể về trận chiến giữa Āḍi và Baka) đã kết thúc. Nay bắt đầu chương thứ mười. Jaimini thưa rằng: “Hỡi các bậc nhị sinh dũng mãnh như hổ, xin giải trừ nghi hoặc của tôi khi tôi thỉnh hỏi. Sự hiện khởi và ẩn diệt (hiển lộ và tan rã) của các hữu tình nương tựa trên nền tảng nào?”

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-शब्दः)

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समासः—षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘श्री-’ उपपदपूर्वकं ‘मार्कण्डेयपुराण’

• āḍi-baka-yuddha-varṇanam: the description of the battle of Āḍi and Baka
• āḍi-baka-yuddha-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āḍi (प्रातिपदिक) + baka (प्रातिपदिक) + yuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (वर्णनम् of āḍi-baka-yuddha)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/appositive marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), नाम-शब्दः ‘called/namely’

• navamaḥ: ninth
• navamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• daśamaḥ: tenth
• daśamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• jaiminiḥ: Jaimini
• jaiminiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaimini (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ऋषि-नाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• saṃśayam: doubt
• saṃśayam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• dvija-śārdūlāḥ: O best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• dvija-śārdūlāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + śārdūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; कर्मधारयः—‘dvijāḥ eva śārdūlāḥ’ (O tiger-like twice-born)

• prabrūta: tell, explain
• prabrūta: Kriyā (क्रिया/imperative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपदम्

• mama: to me / of me
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; pronoun

• pṛcchataḥ: of (me) who is asking
• pṛcchataḥ: Hetu/Prayojana (हेतु/occasion)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular, Masculine/Neuter agreement by context; ‘of (me) asking’

• āvirbhāva-tirobhāvau: appearance and disappearance
• āvirbhāva-tirobhāvau: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āvirbhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + tirobhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Dual; द्वन्द्वसमासः (appearance and disappearance)

• bhūtānām: of beings
• bhūtānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/of whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/relative locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), relative adverb (यत्र)

• saṃsthitau: are situated / are established
• saṃsthitau: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Dual, Masculine; ‘having been situated/established’

Speakers

• Jaimini addressing the Birds (Dharmapakṣīs)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Embodiment
• Metaphysics
• Karma and rebirth
• Purāṇic frame-dialogue

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The chapter opens by placing existential questions—how beings appear and vanish—within a dharmic inquiry. The ethical implication is that understanding embodiment and its causes (karma, dharma, knowledge) is foundational to right conduct and liberation-oriented living.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily touches Sarga/Pratisarga themes in a philosophical mode (appearance/disappearance of beings), preparing for karmic and cosmological explanation rather than narrating a specific manvantara episode here.

What is the esoteric significance?

“Appearance and disappearance” can be read as the oscillation of consciousness with upādhis (limiting adjuncts): birth and death are surface-movements, while the deeper inquiry seeks the substrate (dharma/karma and ultimately brahman-like ground) upon which manifestation is superimposed.