Shloka 3

Adhyaya 73 — The Uttama Manvantara: Classes of Devas, Indra Sushanti, and the Royal Lineage

Sanskrit

तृतीये तु गणॆ देवाः शिवाख्या मुनिसत्तम ।

शिवाः स्वरूपतस्ते तु श्रुताः पापप्रणाशनाः ॥

Transliteration

tṛtīye tu gaṇe devāḥ śivākhyā munisattama / śivāḥ svarūpatas te tu śrutāḥ pāpapraṇāśanāḥ

Translation

在第三类中，噢诸圣中最胜者，诸神被称为“吉祥名者”（Śivākhyas）。他们本性即为祥瑞，并被传闻为能摧灭罪垢者。

Word by Word

• tṛtīye: in the third
• tṛtīye: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; agrees with gaṇe

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) indicating contrast/emphasis

• gaṇe: in the group
• gaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• śiva-ākhyāḥ: called Śiva
• śiva-ākhyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘named Śiva’

• muni-sattama: O best of sages
• muni-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + sattama (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; address

• śivāḥ: auspicious/Śiva-like
• śivāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• svarūpataḥ: by nature/in form
• svarūpataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sva-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; ablatival adverb (तसिलन्त) meaning ‘by nature/in form’

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; pronoun

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle

• śrutāḥ: are known/are heard of
• śrutāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; used predicatively ‘are heard/are known’

• pāpa-praṇāśanāḥ: destroyers of sin
• pāpa-praṇāśanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘destroyers of sin’

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya addressing a sage (munisattama)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (as an epithet/class-name; not necessarily the deity acting here)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Manvantara
• Deva classifications
• Sin-destruction (pāpa-kṣaya)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Auspiciousness (śiva) is treated as an active purifying force: alignment with beneficence is itself ‘sin-destroying’ in consequence and orientation.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: another component of the standard manvantara roster—classification of devas.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Śiva by nature’ points to intrinsic sattva: when the mind rests in auspicious clarity, pāpa (binding tendency) is said to be dissolved.