Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 78, Shloka 35

Adhyaya 78 — Hymn to Surya and the Distribution of Solar Splendour; Genealogy of Vaivasvata and Chaya’s Line

Sanskrit

तस्य वैवस्वतस्याहं मनोः सप्तममन्तरम् ।

कथयामि सुतान्भूपानृषीन्देवान्सुराधिपम् ॥

Transliteration

tasya vaivasvatas yāhaṃ manoḥ saptamam antaram | kathayāmi sutān bhūpān ṛṣīn devān surādhipam ||

Translation

如今我将叙述那位毗婆斯伐多摩奴（Vaivasvata Manu）的第七摩奴期（Manvantara）：其诸子、诸王、诸仙（ṛṣi）、诸天神，以及天神之主因陀罗（Indra）。

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/General), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular); pronoun

• vaivasvatasya: of Vaivasvata
• vaivasvatasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaivasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular); patronymic/epithet

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular); 1st person pronoun

• manoḥ: of Manu
• manoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular)

• saptamam: seventh
• saptamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular); ordinal adjective qualifying antaram

• antaram: interval/Manvantara period
• antaram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular)

• kathayāmi: I narrate/tell
• kathayāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present, लट्), Uttama puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana (Singular); parasmaipada

• sutān: sons
• sutān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• bhūpān: kings
• bhūpān: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition/list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• ṛṣīn: sages
• ṛṣīn: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition/list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• devān: gods
• devān: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition/list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• surādhipam: lord of the gods (Indra)
• surādhipam: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition/list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura-adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular); compound: sura + adhipa = 'lord of the gods'

Speakers

• Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator; immediate speaker not explicit in the extracted verse)

Primary Deities

• Indra

Key Themes

• Manvantara
• Purāṇic enumeration
• Cosmic administration
• Genealogical cataloging

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse signals a Purāṇic method: dharma is taught through structured remembrance—lists of rulers, sages, and gods—showing that cosmic and social orders mirror each other.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Manvantara: it explicitly introduces the seventh Manvantara’s roster (devas, ṛṣis, Indra, kings), a classic Purāṇic manvantara-description unit.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘catalog’ form itself is esoteric pedagogy: it trains the mind to see time as patterned cycles rather than linear chaos, supporting a contemplative grasp of cosmic rhythm.