Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 8, Shloka 137

Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

Sanskrit

गच्छ त्वं नरकं घोरमधुनैव नराधम ।

इत्युक्तमात्रे वचने स्वप्नस्थः स नृपस्तदा ॥

Transliteration

gaccha tvaṃ narakaṃ ghoram adhunaiva narādhama |

ity uktamātre vacane svapnasthaḥ sa nṛpas tadā ||

Translation

“Hãy đi ngay lúc này đến địa ngục ghê rợn, hỡi kẻ hèn mạt nhất trong loài người!” Vừa dứt lời ấy, nhà vua liền rơi vào trạng thái như trong mộng.

Word by Word

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriyā (क्रिया/Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd Person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• narakam: to hell
• narakam: Karma (कर्म/Goal object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ghoram: terrible
• ghoram: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying ‘narakam’

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय) ‘now’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात) ‘indeed/just’

• narādhama: O lowest of men
• narādhama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara-adhama (प्रातिपदिक; नर + अधम)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय-समास (‘adhamaḥ naraḥ’)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (उद्धरण-निपात) marking direct speech

• ukta-mātre: at the mere utterance
• ukta-mātre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-time circumstance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ukta-mātra (प्रातिपदिक; उक्त + मात्र)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष (‘ukte mātre’ = at the mere utterance)

• vacane: in the words
• vacane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative circumstance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• svapna-sthaḥ: being in a dream
• svapna-sthaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svapna-stha (प्रातिपदिक; स्वप्न + स्थ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष (‘svapne sthitaḥ’ = situated in sleep/dream)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• nṛpaḥ: the king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय) ‘then’

Speakers

• Brāhmaṇas (uttering the curse); narrative voice reports the result

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Śāpa (curse)
• Naraka
• Dream-vision as moral revelation
• Immediate karmic repercussion (narrative device)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The text portrays consequences as ‘immediate’ through the dream-vision motif: conscience and cosmic order do not always wait for death to instruct; suffering can manifest as psychological and visionary torment that corrects wrongdoing.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Not pancalakṣaṇa content; it is moral narrative illustrating karmaphala.

What is the esoteric significance?

The dream-state indicates that hell is also an inner realm: when dharma is violated, the mind itself becomes the theatre where retribution is experienced, foreshadowing post-mortem states.