Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 43, Shloka 78

Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship

Sanskrit

चिच्छक्तिरेक एवायं यदा नान्योऽस्ति कश्चन ।

तदा का नृपते ज्ञानान्मित्रारिप्रभुभृत्यता ॥

Transliteration

cicchaktir eka evāyaṃ yadā nānyo 'sti kaścana |

tadā kā nṛpate jñānān mitrāri-prabhu-bhṛtyatā ||

Translation

大王啊，当唯有这唯一的觉知之力（意识之Śakti）存在，而别无他物时；一旦智慧生起，“朋友”与“敌人”，或“主人”与“仆从”的观念，还能有什么立足之处？

Word by Word

• चित्-शक्तिः: the power of consciousness
• चित्-शक्तिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्-शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative): चितः शक्तिः

• एकः: one, single
• एकः: Karta-anvaya (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषणम्

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); सर्वनाम

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अन्यः: another (one)
• अन्यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

• अस्ति: exists, is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.), परस्मैपद

• कश्चन: anyone at all
• कश्चन: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चन (निपात)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); अनिश्चित-प्रश्न/अनिर्दिष्ट (indefinite pronoun)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• का: what?
• का: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• नृपते: O king
• नृपते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Voc.), एकवचन (sg.)

• ज्ञानात्: from knowledge
• ज्ञानात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Abl. 5), एकवचन (sg.)

• मित्र-अरि-प्रभु-भृत्यता: (the notions of) friend, enemy, master, and servant
• मित्र-अरि-प्रभु-भृत्यता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective copulative): मित्रत्वम्/अरित्वम्/प्रभुत्वम्/भृत्यत्वम् (states of friend/enemy/lord/servant)

Speakers

• Subāhu (instructing the king Kāśīśvara/Kākhirāja in the narrative)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Advaita/Non-duality
• Jnana (liberating knowledge)
• Detachment
• Resolution of enmity

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Realization of the one Consciousness dissolves social and psychological binaries (friend/enemy, ruler/ruled). Ethically, it urges the king to act without egoic hostility and to see conflict as arising from misapprehension.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Dharma/Upadeśa within Itihāsa-style narrative; it is not sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita proper, but an instructive passage embedded in royal genealogy-like storytelling (vaṃśānucarita-adjacent).

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Cit-śakti’ as the sole reality implies that all relational identities are superimpositions (adhyāropa). The verse points to inner sovereignty: conquering the sense of ‘other’ is the true conquest.