Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 45, Shloka 27

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

Sanskrit

प्रणिपत्य जगद्योनिमजमव्ययमाश्रयम् ।

चराचरस्य जगतो धातारं परमं पदम् ॥

Transliteration

praṇipatya jagad-yonim ajam avyayam āśrayam |

carācarasya jagato dhātāraṃ paramaṃ padam ||

Translation

Sau khi đảnh lễ nguồn thai/tạng sinh của vũ trụ—đấng vô sinh, bất hoại, là nơi nương tựa—và đấng duy trì thế giới hữu động và vô động, cảnh giới tối thượng,

Word by Word

• प्रणिपत्य: having bowed
• प्रणिपत्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नि-पत् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त; ‘having bowed down’

• जगद्योनिम्: the source of the world
• जगद्योनिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः योनि:) ‘source of the world’

• अजम्: unborn
• अजम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective ‘unborn’ qualifying the deity

• अव्ययम्: imperishable
• अव्ययम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective ‘imperishable’

• आश्रयम्: refuge
• आश्रयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘refuge/support’

• चराचरस्य: of the moving and unmoving
• चराचरस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of the moving and unmoving (beings)’

• जगतः: of the world
• जगतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive ‘of the world’

• धातारम्: the creator
• धातारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘creator/sustainer’

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective qualifying पदम्

• पदम्: abode/goal
• पदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘state/abode/goal’

Speakers

• Narrator-speaker commencing a doctrinal exposition with an invocation

Primary Deities

• Brahmā (implied as creator/sustainer in subsequent verse)
• Supreme principle (paramaṃ padam; possibly Brahman/Nārāyaṇa depending on tradition)

Key Themes

• Invocation
• Supreme principle
• Cosmic support
• Theology blended with cosmology

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Knowledge is grounded in reverence: the speaker begins with surrender to the ultimate source, modeling that metaphysical inquiry should be accompanied by humility and devotion.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Serves as the invocatory threshold to Sarga/Pratisarga: it praises the cosmic ground before enumerating principles of manifestation.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Moving and unmoving’ points to the totality of experience; bowing to their ‘dhātṛ’ indicates the seeker’s shift from fragmented perception to the unifying support (āśraya) behind all dualities.