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Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 47, Shloka 17

Adhyaya 47Brahma’s Awakening and the Ninefold Scheme of Creation

बहिरन्तश्चाप्रकाशः संवृतात्मा नगात्मकः ।

मुख्या नगा यतश्चोक्ता मुख्यसर्गस्ततस्त्वयम् ॥

bahirantaś cāprakāśaḥ saṃvṛtātmā nagātmakaḥ /

mukhyā nagā yataś coktā mukhyasargas tatas tv ayam

Không có ánh sáng bên ngoài lẫn bên trong, tự ngã bị che phủ, tạo hóa này mang bản tính ‘naga’ (loài bất động/thực vật). Vì các ‘naga’ ấy được gọi là sơ khởi, nên đây được gọi là sự sáng tạo sơ khởi (mukhya-sarga).

bahiḥexternally
bahiḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootbahiḥ (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; adverb
antaḥinternally
antaḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootantaḥ (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; adverb
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Conjunction)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; conjunction
aprakāśaḥnon-illumination, darkness
aprakāśaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Roota-prakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana
saṃvṛta-ātmāwith the self veiled
saṃvṛta-ātmā:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of aprakāśaḥ)
TypeAdjective
Rootsaṃvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ with सम्- उपसर्ग, क्त) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi 'one whose self is covered/closed'
naga-ātmakaḥof mountain-like nature
naga-ātmakaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of aprakāśaḥ)
TypeAdjective
Rootnaga (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa 'having the nature of mountains/immobile beings'
mukhyāḥprincipal, primary
mukhyāḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of nagāḥ)
TypeAdjective
Rootmukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana
nagāḥmountains; immobile beings
nagāḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootnaga (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana
yataḥbecause, since
yataḥ:
Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyataḥ (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; causal/relative adverb ('because/whence')
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; conjunction
uktāḥare called, were said
uktāḥ:
Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate participle)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त) from √vac; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; agrees with nagāḥ
mukhya-sargaḥthe primary creation
mukhya-sargaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootmukhya (प्रातिपदिक) + sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya 'primary creation'
tataḥtherefore, then
tataḥ:
Hetu/Anantara (हेतु/क्रम)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; sequence marker 'therefore/then'
tvamyou
tvam:
Karta (कर्ता/Addressed subject)
TypeNoun
Rootyusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Pronoun), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana
ayamthis (one), he/it here
ayam:
Karta (कर्ता/Apposition)
TypeNoun
Rootidam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine/Pronoun), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; deictic pronoun (often 'this')
Narrative voice within cosmological account

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

Creator principle
CosmologyPrimary creation (mukhya-sarga)Tamas-dominant beingsVeiling of consciousness

FAQs

When consciousness is ‘covered’ (saṃvṛta), life expresses as inertia and minimal awareness; the passage functions as a caution that tamas leads to stagnation, while clarity (prakāśa) enables higher flourishing.

Sarga: it specifies a technical subtype—mukhya-sarga (primary creation), associated with tamas-dominant, ‘immobile’ forms.

‘Outer and inner unillumined’ indicates both sensory and mental obscuration; the ‘immobile’ category symbolizes consciousness fixed in identification, prior to the emergence of more articulate, self-reflective life.