Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 51, Shloka 120

Adhyaya 51 — Yaksha Injunctions: Graha-Children and Female Spirits Causing Domestic and Ritual Disruptions

Sanskrit

विद्विष्टो नाशमायाति पुरुषो धर्मतोऽर्थतः ।

एकस्तु स्वगुणाँल्लोके प्रकाशयति पापकृत् ॥

Transliteration

vidviṣṭo nāśam āyāti puruṣo dharmato ’rthataḥ /

ekas tu svaguṇāṃl loke prakāśayati pāpakṛt

Translation

为人所憎者必至败亡——于法（dharma）与财两方面皆然。其中之一使作恶者自身的恶质（其真实本性与过失）在世间显露。

Word by Word

• vidviṣṭaḥ: hated
• vidviṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√dviṣ (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Gati/Karma (गति/कर्म; goal of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• āyāti: comes to; reaches
• āyāti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• puruṣaḥ: a man
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• dharmataḥ: in terms of dharma
• dharmataḥ: Hetu/Adhikaraṇa (हेतु/अधिकरण; adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: Tasil-derivative adverb (तसिलन्त अव्यय): ‘from the standpoint of’

• arthataḥ: in terms of wealth/interest
• arthataḥ: Hetu/Adhikaraṇa (हेतु/अधिकरण; adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: Tasil-derivative adverb (तसिलन्त अव्यय)

• ekaḥ: one (person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• sva-guṇān: his own virtues/qualities
• sva-guṇān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (‘one’s own qualities’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• prakāśayati: makes manifest; reveals
• prakāśayati: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kāś (धातु; denominative/causative sense)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• pāpa-kṛt: a sinner; evil-doer
• pāpa-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to ekaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + kṛt (कृदन्त; कृ धातु → कृत्)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (‘doer of sin’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Narrative voice

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Reputation and moral causality
• Loss of dharma and artha
• Exposure of wrongdoing

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Adharma is self-revealing: wrongdoing tends to become known, leading to collapse of both ethical standing (dharma) and material stability (artha).

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Didactic material; it supports the purāṇic function of teaching dharma rather than enumerating vaṃśa/manvantara.

What is the esoteric significance?

The 'revelation of qualities' suggests that inner saṃskāras inevitably externalize; the cosmos is portrayed as morally transparent—what is hidden ripens into visibility.