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Vol. XXX, 2006
THE EIGHTEEN DEFECTS OF...
97
18 defects is not proper in the context and it is not
Jaimini was free from intended.
Dr. Satyavrat Singh” and Dr. Nag Sarana Singh in their Hindi translations and Shri Tulajaram Dhirajram Pandya in his Gujarati translation have followed the first variant and interpreted that the Mārkandeya, the speaker is free from the eighteen defects. When understood in this sense, they have also tried to enumerate 18 such defects from which Mārkandeya is supposed to be free from. They are:
FIGI, TSI, 44:, 974:, HTE:, 4G:, J-HIG:, 441:, faza:, HTEO, 14:, 374411, Miche, कापट्यम्, मिथ्यात्वम्, नास्तिकता, अगमदशिता, अशिक्षा ।
They have not stated the original source of enumeration of these defects. Shri Pandyas simply writes that they are given in the Yogaśāstra. I have come across one passage of Hārīta - the Dharmasūtrakāra, who has explicitly enumerated the eighteen kinds of faults or defects of a person. The passage is as follows:
सर्वाभक्ष्यभक्षणमभोज्यभोजनमपेयपानमगम्यागमनमयाज्ययाजनमसत्परिग्रहणं परदाराभिगमनं द्रव्यापहरणं प्राणिहिंसा चेति शारीराणि । पारुष्यमनृतं विवादः श्रुतिविक्रयश्चेति वाचिकानि । परोपतापनं पराभिद्रोह: क्रोधो लोभो मोहोऽहंकारश्चेति मानसानि तदेतान्यष्टादशनैरेयाणि कर्माणि ।
F.E. Pargitar also translated in English the above verse of the Markandeyapurāna in the same manner as is done by the above translators, by connecting the above phrase as going with Mārkandeya, who is said to be free from 18 defects. Here is the translation of F.E. Pargitar:
Having thus heard his speech, the great muni Mārkandeya, devoid of eighteen defects began to speak.
Following K. M. Banerjea, Pargiter has enumerated in his commentary the eighteen defects of a person, from which Mārkandeya was naturally free. I are:
Palpitation, fear, thickness in speech, indistinctness, speaking through nose, discordancy, want of emotion, disconnectedness, roughness, hoarseness, high pitch, inaccuracy in pronunciation, perturbation, want of cadence, singsong, shaking the head, weakness of voice, and unmeaningness.
