Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 58, Shloka 8

Adhyaya 58 — The Kurma-Form of Narayana: Mapping Bharata through Nakshatras, Regions, and Planetary Afflictions

Sanskrit

कालकोटिसपाषण्डाः पारियात्रनिवासिनः ।

कापिङ्गलाः कुरुर्बाह्यस्तथैवोडुम्बरा जनाः ॥

Transliteration

kālakoṭisapāṣaṇḍāḥ pāriyātranivāsinaḥ | kāpiṅgalāḥ kururbāhyas tathaivoḍumbarā janāḥ ||

Translation

迦罗拘底族与帕沙ṇḍa派，居于帕里亚特拉者；迦毗ṅ伽罗族；外域之俱卢人；以及同样被称为优杜婆罗族的民众。

Word by Word

• kālakoṭisapāṣaṇḍāḥ: the Kālakoṭi people who are with heretics
• kālakoṭisapāṣaṇḍāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālakoṭi + sa-pāṣaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः), ‘कालकोटि’ इति नाम + ‘सपाषण्ड’ (सह पाषण्डैः)

• pāriyātra-nivāsinaḥ: inhabitants of Pāriyātra
• pāriyātra-nivāsinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāriyātra + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-सम्बन्धः), ‘पारियात्रे निवसन्ति’ इति

• kāpiṅgalāḥ: the Kāpiṅgalas
• kāpiṅgalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāpiṅgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• kururbāhyaḥ: the Kururbāhya (one outside/outer Kurus)
• kururbāhyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kururbāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-प्रायः), ‘कुरून् बाह्यः/कुरु-देशस्य बाह्यः’

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb/particle (उपपद/समुच्चयार्थ)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निश्चय/अवधारण)

• uḍumbarāḥ: the Uḍumbaras
• uḍumbarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uḍumbara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Kūrma)

Key Themes

• Mountain-region mapping
• Ethnonyms
• Boundary peoples

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic geography often encodes social boundaries and perceived cultural peripheries. The takeaway is descriptive rather than prescriptive here, but it reflects how tradition mapped diversity in relation to a sacral center.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Sthiti—world description; secondarily supports Vaṃśānucarita contexts where regions relate to lineages and polities.

What is the esoteric significance?

Peripheral groups (‘outer Kurus’, mountain dwellers) can symbolize liminal zones of the cosmic body—edges where order meets the unknown, often used in Purāṇas to frame omens and transitions.