Varaha Purana 136.12: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 12

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

परं कौतूहलं देव निखिलं वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ श्मशानं पुण्डरीकाक्ष ईश्वरेण प्रशंसितम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 136.12

Transliteration

paraṃ kautūhalaṃ deva nikhilaṃ vaktum arhasi || śmaśānaṃ puṇḍarīkākṣa īśvareṇa praśaṃsitam ||

Translation

O Deva, du sollst diese ganze Angelegenheit von tiefer Neugier vollständig darlegen: Der Verbrennungsplatz, o Lotosäugiger, wird von Īśvara gepriesen.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• परम्: great / intense
• परम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• देव: O god / O Lord
• देव: सम्बोधन (Address/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• निखिलम्: entire / all
• निखिलम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: प्रयोजन (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive): ‘to speak/tell’

• अर्हसि: you ought / you are fit
• अर्हसि: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• श्मशानम्: cremation-ground
• श्मशानम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्मशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्डरीकाक्ष: O lotus-eyed one
• पुण्डरीकाक्ष: सम्बोधन (Address/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्डरीक + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि: ‘he whose eyes are like lotuses’

• ईश्वरेण: by Īśvara (Śiva)
• ईश्वरेण: कर्ता (Agent in passive/Instrumental agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रशंसितम्: praised
• प्रशंसितम्: विशेषण (Predicate adjective of श्मशानम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + शंस् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया/प्रथमा (Acc./Nom.), एकवचन (Singular); ‘praised’

Speaker

Pṛthivī (inquirer, implied continuation)

Tags

• Purāṇic Sacred Topography
• Śmaśāna Studies
• Inter-sectarian Literary References
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It indicates how Purāṇic texts discuss liminal spaces (cremation grounds) not only as sites of impurity but also as philosophically and ritually meaningful locales.

Which geographic location is identified?

No named cremation ground is specified; the reference is generic (śmaśāna).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse frames inquiry and explanation as a disciplined pursuit: curiosity (kautūhala) is directed toward understanding cultural practices and their rationale.