Varaha Purana 116.26: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 26

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

शेषमन्नं समश्नाति ततः सौख्यतरं नु किम् ॥ त्रिकालं ये प्रपद्यन्ते मयोक्तेन वसुन्धरे ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.26

Transliteration

śeṣam annaṃ samaśnāti tataḥ saukhyataraṃ nu kim || trikālaṃ ye prapadyante mayoktena vasundhare ||

Translation

Dann isst man die verbleibende Speise; was könnte dem Wohlergehen mehr zuträglich sein als dies? O Vasundharā, die, welche dem von mir Gesagten zu den drei Tageszeiten folgen—welche Übung wäre heilsamer?

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Word by Word

• śeṣam: remaining
• śeṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śeṣa (शेष प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with annam

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (अन्न प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• samaśnāti: eats/consumes
• samaśnāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-aś (सम्√अश् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• tataḥ: thereafter/from that
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततः अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• saukhyataram: more pleasant/happier
• saukhyataram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saukhyatara (सौख्यतर प्रातिपदिक; comparative)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); comparative degree (तर) used predicatively

• nu: indeed?/then?
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle (प्रश्नार्थक निपात)

• kim: what
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न/प्रातिपदिकार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun

• tri-kālam: thrice daily / at the three times
• tri-kālam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (त्रि संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + kāla (काल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adverbially; accusative-form functioning as adverb: ‘at three times’

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); relative pronoun

• prapadyante: take refuge/surrender
• prapadyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-pad (प्र√पद् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• uktena: by (my) statement
• uktena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ukta (उक्त प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √vac)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); past passive participle used substantively: ‘by what is said’

• vasundhare: O Earth
• vasundhare: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (वसुन्धरा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dialogue
• Ritual Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a structured daily religio-ethical regimen (trikāla) and the role of consecrated or ritually contextualized food consumption in Purāṇic practice.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic site is named; “Vasundharā” is an address to the personified Earth as interlocutor.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To maintain disciplined daily observances and to consume food in a manner integrated with offering and ritual order.