Varaha Purana 146.7: Adhyaya 146, Shloka 7

The Greatness of Hṛṣīkeśa at Rurukṣetra: The Origin Narrative of Ruru and the Sacred Site

Devanagari script

शान्तैर्मृगगणैः कीर्णं कन्दमूलफलान्वितम् ॥ तत्र तीव्रं तपोऽतप्यद्देवदत्तो मुनीश्वरः ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 146.7

Transliteration

śāntair mṛgagaṇaiḥ kīrṇaṁ kandamūlaphalānvitam | tatra tīvraṁ tapo 'tapyad devadatto munīśvaraḥ ||

Translation

Es war erfüllt von friedlichen Hirschherden und reich an Knollen, Wurzeln und Früchten. Dort übte Devadatta, ein Herr unter den Weisen, strenge Askese (tapas) aus.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• śāntaiḥ: by peaceful
• śāntaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with mṛgagaṇaiḥ

• mṛgagaṇaiḥ: by herds of deer
• mṛgagaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga-gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); 'by groups of deer/animals'

• kīrṇam: strewn/filled
• kīrṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṝ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with (āśramapadam) understood

• kandamūlaphalānvitam: endowed with roots, tubers, and fruits
• kandamūlaphalānvitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kanda + mūla + phala + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); dvandva base 'kanda-mūla-phala' + anvita 'endowed with'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa (देश/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• tīvram: intense
• tīvram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīvra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with tapaḥ

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• atapyat: performed (austerity)
• atapyat: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• devadattaḥ: Devadatta
• devadattaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devadatta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• munīśvaraḥ: lord of sages
• munīśvaraḥ: Apposition (समानााधिकरण/Identifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); 'lord among sages' (appositional epithet)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ecological Narratives
• Purāṇic Asceticism
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a stylized description of forest-hermitage subsistence and fauna, useful for understanding literary representations of ecology and ascetic settlement.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit modern-identifiable location is named; the verse describes an idealized hermitage environment within the chapter’s sacred-geography frame.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It elevates restraint and disciplined practice (tapas) alongside non-violent coexistence with wildlife (peaceful deer herds).