Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 41, Shloka 23

Adhyaya 41 — Yogic Conduct and the Discipline Leading to Siddhi

Sanskrit

सर्वमात्ममयं यस्य सदसज्जगदीदृशम् ।

गुणागुणमयन्तस्य कः प्रियः को नृपाप्रियः ॥

Transliteration

sarvam ātmamayaṁ yasya sadasaj jagadīdṛśam / guṇāguṇamayantasya kaḥ priyaḥ ko nṛpāpriyaḥ

Translation

对于那位见此一切世界——虽现为有与无——皆由自我（真我）所成，且超越诸德与非德者而言，什么是他所爱，什么又是他所憎呢，王啊？

Word by Word

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; used substantively ‘everything’

• ātma-mayam: made of the Self
• ātma-mayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘consisting of Self’ qualifying ‘sarvam’

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; relative pronoun

• sat-asat: the existent and the non-existent
• sat-asat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (कृदन्त; √as अस्, शतृ/सत्) + asat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular (collective dvandva); ‘the real and the unreal’

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• īdṛśam: such/like this
• īdṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; adjective qualifying the preceding notion (sat-asat jagat)

• guṇa-aguṇa-mayam: made of qualities and non-qualities
• guṇa-aguṇa-mayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aguṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa with dvandva-internal: ‘consisting of qualities and non-qualities’

• tasya: for him/of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• kaḥ: who/what (is)
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; interrogative pronoun

• priyaḥ: dear
• priyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; used substantively ‘dear one’

• kaḥ: who/what (is)
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; interrogative pronoun

• nṛpa-apriyaḥ: disliked by the king
• nṛpa-apriyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + apriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘not dear to the king’ / ‘king-disliked’

Speakers

• Dattātreya addressing a king (nṛpa) within the discourse

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Advaita-like non-dualism
• Equanimity
• Detachment
• Liberation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

When one’s identity is rooted in the Self rather than in social transactions, partiality collapses. The ethical fruit is impartiality: reduced anger, favoritism, and retaliatory harm.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Not a creation/genealogy/manvantara unit; it is mokṣa-śāstra embedded in Purāṇa—teaching the liberating vision that undergirds dharma.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Sat and asat’ can indicate the play of manifest/unmanifest; seeing both as ātman dissolves dualistic valuation (rāga-dveṣa), a key threshold for samādhi.