Varaha Purana 116.44: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 44

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

केचिन्मूकाश्च दृश्यन्ते ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ विद्यमाने धने केचित्कृपणाः भोगवर्जिताः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.44

Transliteration

kecin mūkāś ca dṛśyante tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || vidyamāne dhane kecit kṛpaṇā bhogavarjitāḥ ||

Translation

Manche sieht man stumm — was könnte schmerzlicher sein als das? Und doch bleiben einige, selbst wenn Reichtum vorhanden ist, aus Geiz des Genusses beraubt.

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Word by Word

• kecit: some (people)
• kecit: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); 'some (persons)'

• mūkāḥ: mute
• mūkāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying 'kecit'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• dṛśyante: are seen / appear
• dṛśyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); passive sense 'are seen/appear'

• tataḥ: therefore / from that
• tataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय) meaning 'therefore/from that'

• duḥkhataraṃ: more painful / more miserable
• duḥkhataraṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); comparative degree (तरप्)

• nu: indeed / then (interrogative emphasis)
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) used for emphasis/interrogation

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun (प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidyamāne: when (it is) present / existing
• vidyamāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidyamāna (कृदन्त; √vid/√as)
• Form: Present participle (शतृ/शानच्), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन), Neuter/Masculine agreement with 'dhane'; 'when existing/present'

• dhane: in wealth / when wealth exists
• dhane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kecit: some (people)
• kecit: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kṛpaṇāḥ: miserly / wretched (people)
• kṛpaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); apposition to 'kecit'

• bhoga-varjitāḥ: deprived of enjoyments
• bhoga-varjitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त; √vṛj/√varj)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (तत्पुरुष): 'bhogaiḥ varjitāḥ' (deprived of enjoyments); varjita = past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker for this nīti sequence)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Nīti
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic nīti theme: contrasting unavoidable misfortune (such as disability) with self-caused suffering (miserliness despite resources), a motif also seen in broader Sanskrit ethical literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it is a general ethical observation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Possessing wealth without using it meaningfully can become a self-inflicted form of deprivation; ethical living includes appropriate, non-harmful enjoyment and generosity.