Varaha Purana 2.54: Adhyaya 2, Shloka 54

Cosmogony and the Ninefold Creation: Rudra’s Origin and the Prelude to the Sāvitrī-Veda Narrative

Devanagari script

सप्तद्वीपेषु संस्थाप्य भरतादीन् सुतान् निजान् । स्वयँ विशालां वरदां गत्वा तेपे महत् तपः ॥ २.५३ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 2.54

Transliteration

saptadvīpeṣu saṁsthāpya bharatādīn sutān nijān | svayaṁ viśālāṁ varadāṁ gatvā tepe mahat tapaḥ || 2.53 ||

Translation

Nachdem er seine eigenen Söhne—beginnend mit Bharata—auf den sieben Dvīpas eingesetzt hatte, begab er sich selbst nach Viśālā, der Gnadengewährenden, und übte große Askese.

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Word by Word

• सप्तद्वीपेषु: in the seven continents/islands
• सप्तद्वीपेषु: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः: सप्त-द्वीप (द्विगु)

• संस्थाप्य: having established
• संस्थाप्य: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); धातु: √स्था (to place/establish) उपसर्ग: सम्; अर्थ: स्थापित्वा (having established)

• भरतादीन्: Bharata and others
• भरतादीन्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः: भरत-आदि (तत्पुरुष; ‘Bharata and others’)

• सुतान्: sons
• सुतान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• निजान्: his own
• निजान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (sutān)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: कर्ता (Karta/Agent emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), आत्मनः-प्रयोग (reflexive/emphatic adverb)

• विशालाम्: to Viśālā (city)
• विशालाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्म (object of gatvā)

• वरदाम्: boon-giving (auspicious)
• वरदाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (viśālām)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); धातु: √गम् (to go)

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); धातु: √तप् (to perform austerity)

• महत्: great
• महत्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (tapaḥ)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Varāha (default narrative speaker within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ancient Geography
• Vaishnavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse reflects a common Purāṇic strategy of linking political order (installation of heirs) with cosmographic imagination (the seven dvīpas), situating kingship within a pan-Indic sacred geography and an ascetic ideal.

Which geographic location is identified?

Viśālā is named as a destination associated with boon-bestowing qualities; in wider Sanskrit literature, Viśālā can denote an important city/region (often discussed in relation to ancient North Indian urban centers), though precise identification varies by text and scholarly mapping.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds a philosophical instruction that governance and worldly arrangement should be coupled with personal discipline (tapaḥ), presenting austerity as a stabilizing virtue after the establishment of social order.