Varaha Purana 190.2: Adhyaya 190, Shloka 2

Determinative Exposition on Śrāddha and the Pitṛyajña

Ancestral Offering

Devanagari script

स्वप्नोपममिमं लोकं ह्यात्मकर्म शुभाशुभम् ॥ वर्तते तिष्ठते देव तव मायाबलैर्जगत्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 190.2

Transliteration

svapnopamam imaṃ lokaṃ hy ātmakarma śubhāśubham || vartate tiṣṭhate deva tava māyābalair jagat

Translation

Diese Welt ist wahrlich wie ein Traum; die eigenen Taten — gute wie schlechte — wirken hier. O Deva, das Weltall wirkt und besteht durch die Kräfte deiner māyā.

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Word by Word

• svapna-upamam: dream-like
• svapna-upamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svapna + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष): svapna + upama (‘like a dream’); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agreeing with lokam

• imam: this
• imam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agreeing with lokam

• lokam: world
• lokam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक)

• ātma-karma: (as) one’s own karma
• ātma-karma: Hetu/Upādhi (हेतु/उपाधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman + karma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष): ātman + karma (‘one’s own karma’); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); used appositionally/qualificatively

• śubha-aśubham: good and bad
• śubha-aśubham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha + aśubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) of opposites: śubha + aśubha; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying ātma-karma

• vartate: exists/continues
• vartate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• tiṣṭhate: stands/remains
• tiṣṭhate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• deva: O God
• deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• māyā-balaiḥ: by the powers of (your) māyā
• māyā-balaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष): māyā + bala (‘power of māyā’); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• jagat: the universe
• jagat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Pṛthivī/Dharaṇī (continuation of Dharaṇī’s inquiry address to Deva, within Varāha dialogue frame)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Philosophy
• Karma Doctrine
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows Purāṇic synthesis of ritual discourse with philosophical language about māyā and karma, reflecting cross-pollination with broader Sanskrit intellectual traditions.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned; the verse is metaphysical in scope.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Human experience is framed as conditioned by one’s own good and bad actions, situating responsibility within a larger cosmological order.