Varaha Purana 113.30: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 30

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Devanagari script

मुहूर्तं ध्यानमास्थाय पृथिवीं तामुवाच ह ।। नाहं तारयितुं शक्तो विषमस्थां वसुन्धरे

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.30

Transliteration

muhūrtaṃ dhyānam āsthāya pṛthivīṃ tām uvāca ha || nāhaṃ tārayituṃ śakto viṣamasthāṃ vasundhare

Translation

Nachdem er einen Augenblick in Meditation verweilt hatte, sprach er zur Erde: „O Vasundharā, ich vermag dich nicht zu retten, solange du dich in einer so gefährlichen Lage befindest.“

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Word by Word

• मुहूर्तम्: for a moment
• मुहूर्तम्: कर्म (Karma/Direct object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक

• ध्यानम्: meditation
• ध्यानम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (as object of gerund)

• आस्थाय: having undertaken
• आस्थाय: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘आस्था’ = having resorted to / having undertaken

• पृथिवीम्: the Earth
• पृथिवीम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ताम्: her/that (Earth)
• ताम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Kriyā/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed/then
• ह: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), कथन-प्रत्यय/अनुस्मारक

• न: not
• न: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तारयितुम्: to rescue
• तारयितुम्: प्रयोजन (Purpose/Infinitival complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), अव्यय; ‘to rescue/carry across’

• शक्तः: able
• शक्तः: कर्तृविशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from शक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• विषमस्थाम्: situated in difficulty
• विषमस्थाम्: कर्मविशेषण (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम + स्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (विषमे स्थिता इति)

• वसुन्धरे: O Earth
• वसुन्धरे: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुन्धरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (defaults to primary dialogue frame: Varāha addressing Pṛthivī)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ecological Ethics
• Purāṇic Dialogue

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic narrative pattern where cosmic or terrestrial distress is framed through dialogue, emphasizing mediation, hierarchy of agency, and recourse to a higher protector within the text’s mythic historiography.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named here; the referent is the Earth (Pṛthivī/Vasundharā) as a cosmic entity rather than a local toponym.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The passage foregrounds humility and appropriate delegation of responsibility—recognizing limits and directing the afflicted toward a capable protector rather than asserting inadequate authority.