Varaha Purana 135.9: Adhyaya 135, Shloka 9

Prescriptions for Expiation of Offences: Red/Black Garments, Improper Touch in Darkness, Impure Leftovers, Eating Boar-Meat, and Consuming Jālapāda

Devanagari script

पतनाṃ तस्य वक्ष्यामि शृणुष्व त्वं वसुन्धरे ॥ तेन क्लेशं समासाद्य क्लिश्यते च नराधमः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 135.9

Transliteration

patanaṁ tasya vakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣva tvaṁ vasundhare | tena kleśaṁ samāsādya kliśyate ca narādhamaḥ ||

Translation

Seinen Sturz will ich schildern; höre, o Vasundharā. Durch jene Tat zieht er Leid auf sich, und der niederträchtige Mensch leidet.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• patanam: fall/downfall
• patanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• tasya: of him/of that person
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• vakṣyāmi: I will tell
• vakṣyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Simple future (लृट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), First person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• śṛṇuṣva: listen
• śṛṇuṣva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Second person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Second person pronoun, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• tena: by that/thereby
• tena: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)

• kleśam: affliction
• kleśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kleśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• samāsādya: having met/attained
• samāsādya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-sad (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), 'having reached/encountered'

• kliśyate: is tormented/suffers
• kliśyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kliś (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• narādhamaḥ: the worst of men
• narādhamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + adhama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa: 'among men, the lowest'

Speaker

Varāha addressing Pṛthivī

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Ethics
• Sanskrit Philology
• Didactic Narrative

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse exemplifies Purāṇic pedagogy: a teacher-figure announces consequences (patana) as a deterrent, aligning moral behavior with social and textual norms.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is specified; the address “Vasundharā” is a personified epithet for Earth, indicating the dialogue frame rather than a site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Misconduct leads to suffering and decline; ethical restraint is reinforced through the language of consequence.