Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 1, Shloka 31

Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds

Sanskrit

ताभिरभ्यर्चितः सोऽथ उपविष्टे शतक्रतौ ।

यथार्हं कृतसम्भाषः कथाश्चक्रे मनोरमाः ॥

Transliteration

tābhir abhyarcitaḥ so ’tha upaviṣṭe śatakratau /

yathārhaṃ kṛtasambhāṣaḥ kathāś cakre manoramāḥ

Translation

既受她们礼敬，随后——待百祭主（因陀罗）就座之后——在相互致以得体的问候礼节后，他便投入于愉悦的谈叙（故事）之中。

Word by Word

• tābhiḥ: by them
• tābhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental, 3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• abhyarcitaḥ: honoured
• abhyarcitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (predicate adjective of saḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhyarcita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √arc with abhi-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle): ‘honoured/worshipped’

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

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/adverb): ‘then/thereupon’

• upaviṣṭe: when (Indra) was seated
• upaviṣṭe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upaviṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √viś with upa-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त: ‘when (he) was seated’

• śatakratau: in/when Śatakratu (Indra)
• śatakratau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (locative absolute co-referent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatakratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः—‘yasya kratavaḥ śatam’ (he of a hundred sacrifices = Indra)

• yathā-arham: as appropriate
• yathā-arham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + arha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः (adverbial compound): ‘as is proper/according to propriety’

• kṛta-sambhāṣaḥ: having exchanged greetings/conversation
• kṛta-sambhāṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of saḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ) + sambhāṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषः (sambhāṣām kṛtavān = ‘having made conversation’)

• kathāḥ: stories
• kathāḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative, 2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• cakre: told/made
• cakre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• manoramāḥ: delightful
• manoramāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of kathāḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manorama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative, 2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing events (not a direct speech-verse); set in a courtly/divine setting with Indra (Śatakratu) present

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śatakratu)

Key Themes

• Dharma (hospitality and decorum)
• Courtly etiquette
• Narrative framing
• Dialogue as a vehicle of teaching

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse foregrounds dhārmic social conduct: honoring those present, allowing the principal (here, Indra) to be seated, and then engaging in ‘yathārha’ (appropriate) speech. Teaching is framed as arising from proper relationship and decorum—knowledge is transmitted most fruitfully within respectful, well-ordered dialogue.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is primarily part of the Purāṇic frame-narrative (ākhyāna/saṃvāda setup) rather than a direct instance of the pañcalakṣaṇa topics. Indirectly, it serves as narrative scaffolding that will later house pañcalakṣaṇa materials (e.g., manvantara and vaṃśa) elsewhere in the text.

What is the esoteric significance?

Śatakratu (Indra) symbolizes sovereign order sustained by sacrificial merit; the sequence ‘honour → seating → proper exchange → delightful kathā’ mirrors an inner discipline: reverence (bhāva), stabilization (āsana/steadiness), right speech (satya-mita-vāk), and then the unfolding of meaning (kathā/śravaṇa) that delights the mind and prepares it for higher instruction.