Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 74, Shloka 25

Adhyaya 74 — King Svarashtra, the Deer-Queen’s Curse, and the Rise of Tamasa Manu

Sanskrit

मूढे किमेवं मत्तासि धिक्ते दौः शील्यमीदृशम् । आधानकालो येनायं त्वया मे विफलीकृतः ॥

Transliteration

mūḍhe kim evaṃ mattāsi dhik te dauḥśīlyam īdṛśam / ādhānakālo yenāyaṃ tvayā me viphalīkṛtaḥ

Translation

“Này cô gái ngu muội—sao ngươi lại phóng túng như thế? Thật đáng hổ thẹn vì hạnh kiểm xấu xa ấy! Bởi hành vi này, ngươi đã làm cho thời khắc thụ thai của ta trở nên vô ích.”

Word by Word

• mūḍhe: O foolish (woman)
• mūḍhe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative feminine singular

• kim: why/what
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न/Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun used adverbially

• evam: thus, in this way
• evam: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner-adverb

• mattā: intoxicated, mad
• mattā: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: matta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate adjective

• asi: you are
• asi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; present indicative 2sg

• dhik: shame! fie!
• dhik: Bhāva (भाव/Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-अव्यय; exclamatory particle of censure

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; dative pronoun

• dauḥśīlyam: bad conduct, wickedness
• dauḥśīlyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dauḥśīlya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तद्धित/समास: दुḥ + शील (दुष्टशीलत्व)

• īdṛśam: such, like this
• īdṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; adjective agreeing with dauḥśīlyam

• ādhāna-kālaḥ: the time for conception/impregnation
• ādhāna-kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: आधानस्य कालः

• yena: by which (by whom)
• yena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; relative pronoun instrumental

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive enclitic

• viphalīkṛtaḥ: made fruitless, rendered futile
• viphalīkṛtaḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + phalī + kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/भूतकर्मणि), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; past passive participle used predicatively

Speakers

• Stag (revealed as a sage’s son later) addressing the girl (past-life of the doe)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "dharma-shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Sexual ethics as natural order (ṛtu/ādhāna)
• Consequences of disruption
• Condemnation of cruelty and recklessness

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The rebuke frames the wrongdoing not merely as ‘violence’ but as sabotage of generative order; Purāṇic dharma frequently treats obstruction of life and progeny as a serious fault.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Ethical instruction through narrative (dharma-upadeśa via upākhyāna), not a direct sarga/pratisarga account.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Ādhāna’ (conception) symbolizes creative potency; obstructing it represents obstructing dharma’s forward movement—hence the karmic reversal into a constrained, animal embodiment.