Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 52, Shloka 15

Adhyaya 52 — The Manifestation of Nilalohita (Rudra) and the Allocation of His Names, Abodes, Consorts, and Lineages

Sanskrit

श्रियञ्च देवदेवस्य पत्नी नारायणास्य या ।

आयातिर्नियतिश्चैव मेरोः कन्ये महात्मनः ॥

Transliteration

śriyañ ca devadevasya patnī nārāyaṇāsya yā | āyātir niyatiś caiva meroḥ kanye mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

又有室利（Śrī）——诸神之神那罗延那（Nārāyaṇa）之配偶。并且，阿耶蒂（Āyāti）与尼耶蒂（Niyati）乃大心的梅鲁（Meru）之二女。

Word by Word

• śriyam: Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śriyam: Karma (कर्म) / object of implied 'āhuḥ/viduḥ' (elliptic listing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (श्री) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• deva-devasya: of the Lord of gods
• deva-devasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular; tatpuruṣa: 'of the god of gods'

• patnī: wife
• patnī: Karta (कर्ता) / predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (पत्नी) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular; predicate/apposition to śrī (understood)

• nārāyaṇasya: of Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता) (relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Feminine, Nominative singular; refers to patnī/śrī

• āyātiḥ: Āyāti
• āyātiḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• niyatiḥ: Niyati
• niyatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निपात)

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular

• kanye: two daughters
• kanye: Karta (कर्ता) (dual subject in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative dual (प्रथमा द्विवचन)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• mahātmanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive singular; adjective qualifying meroḥ (Meru)

Speakers

• Narratorial genealogical discourse (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• Meru

Shakti Aspects

• Śrī (Lakṣmī) explicitly

Key Themes

• Consort theology
• Personified abstractions (Niyati)
• Sacred geography (Meru)
• Genealogy

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇas often encode metaphysics through kinship: prosperity (Śrī) is inseparable from Nārāyaṇa, and ‘niyati’ (ordered necessity) is presented as a cosmic principle embedded in the world’s very ‘family’ structure.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Vaṁśa: listing divine consorts and progeny; also touches on Sarga-style cosmological personifications (e.g., Niyati) though still within genealogical cataloging.

What is the esoteric significance?

By naming Niyati as a ‘daughter of Meru,’ necessity/destiny is symbolically ‘anchored’ to the cosmic axis (Meru), implying that order is structural, not accidental.