Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 70, Shloka 1

Adhyaya 70 — The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife

Sanskrit

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे औत्तममन्वन्तरे एकोनसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः । सप्ततितमोऽध्यायः- ७० । मार्कण्डेय उवाच । अथारुरोह स्वरथं प्रणिपत्य महामुनिम् । तेनाख्यातं वनं तच्च प्रययावुत्पलावतम् ॥

Transliteration

iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe auttamamanvantare ekonasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ / saptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ- 70 / mārkaṇḍeya uvāca athāruroha svarathaṃ praṇipatya mahāmunim / tenākhyātaṃ vanam antaś ca prayayāv utpalāvatam

Translation

如是，在《圣·摩尔甘ḍ耶往世书》中，于奥多摩（Auttama）摩奴劫之中，第六十九章告终；第七十章开始。摩尔甘ḍ耶说道：随后他登上自己的战车，礼敬那位大圣仙，便启程前往他所指示的森林，去往优钵罗伐多迦（Utpalāvataka）。

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotation/closure particle (इति-प्रयोगः)

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + mārkaṇḍeya + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; compound: śrī-mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa (honorific + proper-name + text)

• auttama-manvantare: in the Auttama Manvantara
• auttama-manvantare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auttama + manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; Tatpuruṣa: auttamasya manvantaram

• ekona-saptatitamaḥ: sixty-ninth
• ekona-saptatitamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekona + saptati + tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ordinal adjective qualifying adhyāyaḥ; dvigu numeral compound (ekona-saptati = 69) + -tama

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• saptatitamaḥ: seventieth
• saptatitamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptati + tama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ordinal adjective qualifying adhyāyaḥ

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; discourse particle (अनन्तरार्थक)

• āruroha: mounted/ascended
• āruroha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ruh (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; parasmaipada

• sva-ratham: his own chariot
• sva-ratham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; karmadhāraya: svaḥ rathaḥ

• praṇipatya: having bowed down
• praṇipatya: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; pūrvakāla-kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-ṇi-pat (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्यय), indeclinable verbal; action prior to main verb

• mahā-munim: the great sage
• mahā-munim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; karmadhāraya: mahān muniḥ

• tena: by him/with him
• tena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; pronoun

• ākhyātam: told/described
• ākhyātam: Karma (कर्म; described object)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agreeing with vanam

• vanam: forest
• vanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally with vanam

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

• prayayau: went forth
• prayayau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yā (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; parasmaipada

• utpala-āvatam: to Utpālāvata (lotus-abounding place)
• utpala-āvatam: Gati/Karma (गति/कर्म; destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpala + āvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; place-name; Tatpuruṣa: utpalānām āvataḥ (abounding in lotuses)

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya narrating

Key Themes

• Narrative continuity
• Obedience to sage counsel
• Pilgrimage/journey to forest

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Right action follows right reverence: the king bows to wisdom (mahāmuni) and then acts decisively, showing the ideal sequence—humility, instruction, execution.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: explicit placement within Auttama-manvantara; the colophon anchors the narrative in Purāṇic time-structure.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘journey to the forest’ indicates movement from courtly order into the testing-ground of the unknown—where dharma must be enacted, not merely proclaimed.