Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 34, Shloka 56

Adhyaya 34 — Madālāsā’s Instruction on Sadācāra (Householder Conduct, Purity, and Daily Rites)

Sanskrit

अवलीढावपन्नञ्च सारोद्धरणदूषितम् ।

पृष्ठमांसं वृथामांसं वर्ज्यमांसञ्च पुत्रक ! ॥

Transliteration

avalīḍhāvapannañ ca sāroddharaṇadūṣitam | pṛṣṭhamāṃsaṃ vṛthāmāṃsaṃ varjyamāṃsañ ca putraka! ||

Translation

又当避开被舔舐而染污之肉，以及因抽去其精华/肉汁（或取法不当）而败坏之肉；同样也应避开背肉、无用之肉与禁戒之肉——亲爱的儿子啊。

Word by Word

• avalīḍha-avapannam: licked and befouled/infested
• avalīḍha-avapannam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ava-līḍha (कृदन्त; √lih धातु with ava-) + avapanna (कृदन्त)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (समाहारद्वन्द्व); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (मांस/वस्तु)

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

• sāra-uddharaṇa-dūṣitam: spoiled by extracting the essence/best part
• sāra-uddharaṇa-dūṣitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāra (प्रातिपदिक) + uddharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + dūṣita (कृदन्त; √dūṣ धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• pṛṣṭha-māṃsam: back-meat (meat from the back)
• pṛṣṭha-māṃsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vṛthā-māṃsam: useless meat
• vṛthā-māṃsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वृथा’ = useless/without purpose

• varjya-māṃsam: meat that should be avoided
• varjya-māṃsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varjya (कृदन्त; √vṛj/varj धातु) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वर्ज्यं मांसम्’

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

• putraka: O dear son
• putraka: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन; स्नेहार्थक (diminutive)

Speakers

• Not identifiable from the provided verses alone; vocative 'putraka' indicates instruction to a younger listener.

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Dietary rules
• Food purity
• Avoidance of contamination

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Even where meat-eating is discussed, the emphasis is restraint and purity: food should not be consumed if contaminated, degraded, or otherwise dharmically disallowed.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ācāra and āhāra-niyama (dietary regulation), not pancalakṣaṇa.

What is the esoteric significance?

Food is a carrier of guṇas; contaminated or ‘essence-extracted’ food symbolizes depleted vitality and muddled mind, hence its avoidance supports sattva.