Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 45, Shloka 25

Adhyaya 45 — Jaimini’s Cosmological Questions and the Opening of Markandeya’s Account of Primary Creation

Sanskrit

दक्षेण चापि कथितमिदमासीत्तदा मम ।

तत्तुभ्यं कथयाम्यद्य कलिकल्मषनाशनम् ॥

Transliteration

dakṣeṇa cāpi kathitam idam āsīt tadā mama |

tat tubhyaṃ kathayāmy adya kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanam ||

Translation

Điều này trước kia cũng đã được Dakṣa thuật lại cho ta. Nay ta sẽ kể lại cho ngươi chính giáo huấn ấy, giáo huấn có năng lực diệt trừ cấu uế của thời Kali.

Word by Word

• दक्षेण: by Dakṣa
• दक्षेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/अव्यय; emphatic/also

• कथितम्: told
• कथितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past passive participle ‘told/said’

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; pronoun ‘this’

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘was’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; adverb of time

• मम: to me / my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular ‘of me/my’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; pronoun ‘that/it’ (referring to the matter)

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; dative singular ‘to you’

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिजन्त)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; causative ‘I tell/narrate’

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; adverb ‘today/now’

• कलिकल्मषनाशनम्: the destroyer of the impurity of Kali (age)
• कलिकल्मषनाशनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कलिकल्मषस्य नाशनम्) ‘destroyer of Kali’s sin/impurity’

Speakers

• Narrator-speaker (ṛṣi) addressing a listener (mune/mahābhāga) within a didactic dialogue; Dakṣa cited as prior authority

Primary Deities

• Dakṣa

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Transmission of sacred knowledge
• Kali-yuga remedy
• Sāṅkhya vocabulary (incipient)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

True knowledge is presented as purifying: the narrator frames the forthcoming cosmological doctrine as a remedy for Kali-age moral and cognitive decline, emphasizing lineage (guru–paramparā) and faithful transmission.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Sarga/Pratisarga-oriented framing: the verse introduces a cosmogonic account (creation principles) and signals an authoritative source (Dakṣa) often associated with progeny and cosmic ordering.

What is the esoteric significance?

Invoking Dakṣa implies the doctrine concerns ordered manifestation and regulation of beings; the phrase 'kali-kalmaṣa-nāśana' hints that contemplative insight into origins functions as inner purification (jñāna as tapas).