Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 12, Shloka 38

Adhyaya 12 — The Son Describes the Narakas: Mahāraurava, Tamas, Nikṛntana, Apratiṣṭha, Asipatravana, and Taptakumbha

Sanskrit

द्रवीभूतैः शिरोगात्र-स्नायु-मांस-त्वगस्थिभिः ।

ततो याम्यैर्नरैराशु दर्व्या घट्टनघट्टिताः ॥

Transliteration

dravībhūtaiḥ śirogātra-snāyu-māṃsa-tvag-asthibhiḥ / tato yāmyair narair āśu darvyā ghaṭṭanaghaṭṭitāḥ

Translation

Khi đầu và thân, gân, thịt, da và xương đã hóa lỏng, thì người của Diêm Vương (Yama) liền nhanh chóng khuấy và cạo chúng bằng một cái vá lớn.

Word by Word

• dravībhūtaiḥ: with liquefied
• dravībhūtaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/instrumental accompaniment)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dravī-bhū (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: PPP (क्त) ‘dravībhūta’; Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; ‘having become melted/liquefied’

• śiras-gātra-snāyu-māṃsa-tvag-asthibhiḥ: with head, limbs, sinews, flesh, skin, and bones
• śiras-gātra-snāyu-māṃsa-tvag-asthibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/instrument/material)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras+gātra+snāyu+māṃsa+tvac+asthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Mixed list as dvandva; Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; द्वन्द्व: ‘head, limbs, sinews, flesh, skin, bones’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb ‘then/thereupon’

• yāmyaiḥ: by Yama’s attendants
• yāmyaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/agentive instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/agentive instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb ‘quickly’

• darvyā: with a ladle
• darvyā: Karaṇa (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; ‘with a ladle/spoon’

• ghaṭṭana-ghaṭṭitāḥ: pounded/stirred vigorously
• ghaṭṭana-ghaṭṭitāḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण/predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghaṭṭana+√ghaṭṭ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: PPP (क्त) ‘ghaṭṭita’; Masculine, Nominative, Plural; तत्पुरुष: ghaṭṭanena ghaṭṭitāḥ = ‘pounded by pounding/stirring’

Speakers

• Pitā instructing Putra

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Yama

Key Themes

• Karma-phala
• Naraka mechanics
• Cosmic governance (Yama)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ‘churning’ underscores that consequences are not random but ‘processed’—i.e., karma is worked out until exhausted, encouraging ethical living as preventative wisdom.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Non-lakṣaṇa didactic section aimed at dharma and vairāgya (dispassion) through fearsome exempla.

What is the esoteric significance?

Churning is a symbolic inversion of sacred churning (samudra-manthana): instead of producing nectar, harmful karma yields suffering; a warning against misusing human agency.