Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 32, Shloka 25

Adhyaya 32 — Rules for Parvana Śrāddha: Foods that Please the Ancestors and Items to Avoid

Sanskrit

मुण्डशौण्डसमाभ्यासो यजमानेन यादरात् ।

केशकीटावपन्नञ्च तथाश्वभिरवेक्षितम् ॥

Transliteration

muṇḍa-śauṇḍa-samābhyāso yajamānena yādarāt / keśa-kīṭāvapannañ ca tathāśvabhir avekṣitam

Translation

若祭主（yajamāna）因疏忽而与剃头之徒（名誉不端者）或醉酒者相交，即成过失。又在仪式中，应避开夹杂毛发或虫蚁的供物，以及被狗注视过的东西。

Word by Word

• मुण्डशौण्डसमाभ्यासः: association with the bald and the ruffian-like (people)
• मुण्डशौण्डसमाभ्यासः: Karta (कर्ता/subject—thing to be avoided)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṇḍa + śauṇḍa + samābhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः (मुण्ड-शौण्ड-समाभ्यासः = association with bald/ruffian types); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यजमानेन: by the sacrificer (host)
• यजमानेन: Kartr-sahakari (कर्ता-सहकारी/agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajamāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (कर्म—object of implied 'वर्जनीयम्')
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• आदरात्: out of respect; from reverence
• आदरात्: Hetu (हेतु/cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• केशकीटावपन्नम्: infested with lice in the hair
• केशकीटावपन्नम्: Karma (कर्म—thing to be avoided)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: keśa + kīṭa + āpanna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः 'केश-कीट-आपन्न' (infested with hair-lice); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अश्वभिः: by horses
• अश्वभिः: Karana (करण/instrumental—agent of seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अवेक्षितम्: looked at; seen
• अवेक्षितम्: Karma (कर्म—thing to be avoided)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ava + īkṣ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speakers

• Dharmic instruction within Markandeya Purana’s ritual discourse (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Śrāddha
• Ritual purity
• Conduct of yajamāna
• Food/space contamination

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Śrāddha is portrayed as sensitive to both external cleanliness and the performer’s associations. The ‘company one keeps’ and the care taken with offerings are treated as part of the moral ecology of ritual.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Ancillary dharma/ācāra instruction. Tag it as ‘Ritual doṣa (faults) and śauca rules’ rather than cosmology or genealogy.

What is the esoteric significance?

Hair/insects/dogs represent uncontrolled impulses and lower instinctual currents. The verse symbolically cautions that the offering meant for subtle recipients (pitṛs) should not be mixed with ‘tamasic’ influences.