Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 46, Shloka 36

Adhyaya 46 — Cosmic Dissolution, the Emergence of Brahma, and the Measures of Time (Yugas, Manvantaras, and Brahma’s Day)

Sanskrit

विंशतिश्च सहस्राणि कालोऽयं साधिकं विना ।

एतन्मन्वन्तरं प्रोक्तं दिव्यैर्वर्षैर्निबोध मे ॥

Transliteration

viṃśatiś ca sahasrāṇi kālo 'yaṃ sādhikaṃ vinā | etan manvantaraṃ proktaṃ divyair varṣair nibodha me ||

Translation

此一时期为二万年，不含所增补之分。你当从我处知晓：以天界年数衡量时，这便被称为一劫期（manvantara）。

Word by Word

• विंशतिः: twenty
• विंशतिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति (संख्याशब्द/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘twenty’

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; here Nominative plural ‘thousands’

• कालः: time/period
• कालः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: विशेष्य-निर्देश (Deictic subject qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• साधिकम्: with an addition
• साधिकम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; here adverbial-accusative sense ‘with addition’

• विना: without; excluding
• विना: अपादान (Apadana/Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक/वर्जनार्थक (without/excluding)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; determiner of मन्वन्तरम्

• मन्वन्तरम्: manvantara
• मन्वन्तरम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: said; declared
• प्रोक्तम्: विशेषण (Predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agrees with ‘एतत् मन्वन्तरम्’

• दिव्यैः: divine
• दिव्यैः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, बहुवचन; agrees with ‘वर्षैः’

• वर्षैः: by years
• वर्षैः: करण (Karana/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• निबोध: understand; learn
• निबोध: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: from me / to me
• मे: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (Genitive/Dative enclitic); here दत्तिवाचक (to me/from me)

Speakers

• Cosmological instruction within the Markandeya Purāṇa’s teaching narrative (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Chronology
• Divine years vs human years

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Different ‘clocks’ (human/divine) coexist in Purāṇic cosmology; the teaching is to see reality from multiple scales rather than a single anthropocentric measure.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: the verse gives its duration in a particular unit (divine years), a typical Purāṇic chronographic feature.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Divine years’ imply a higher-order rhythm; contemplatively, it suggests aligning one’s mind to subtler time (inner cycles) beyond ordinary temporal anxiety.