Varaha Purana 21.1: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 1

The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmogonic Narratives (Prajāpati and Creation)

Devanagari script

महातपा उवाच । पूर्वं प्रजापतिर्देवः सिसृक्षुर्विविधाः प्रजाः । चिन्तयामास धर्मात्मा यदा ता नाध्यगच्छत ॥ २१.२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 21.1

Transliteration

mahātapā uvāca | pūrvaṃ prajāpatiḥ devaḥ sisṛkṣur vividhāḥ prajāḥ | cintayāmāsa dharmātmā yadā tā nādhyagacchata || 21.2 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Mahātapā sprach: Einst, als der göttliche Prajāpati, der vielfältige Wesen erschaffen wollte, sie nicht hervorzubringen vermochte, versank jener von dharmischem Sinn in tiefes Nachdenken.

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Word by Word

• mahātapāḥ: Mahātapā (the great ascetic)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Karmadhāraya-samāsa (कर्मधारय): 'mahān tapāḥ' (one of great austerity); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tapas (प्रातिपदिक)

• uvāca: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्/Perfect), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Root: vac (धातु)

• pūrvam: formerly, at first
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)

• prajāpatiḥ: Prajāpati
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष): 'prajānāṃ patiḥ' (lord of creatures); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)

• devaḥ: the god
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); Apposition to 'prajāpatiḥ'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• sisṛkṣuḥ: desiring to create
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Desiderative participle (सन्नन्त/इच्छार्थक; सिसृक्षु), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying 'prajāpatiḥ'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Agent qualifier)
• Root: √sṛj (धातु)

• vividhāḥ: various, diverse
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); Viśeṣaṇa of 'prajāḥ'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)

• prajāḥ: creatures, beings
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)

• cintayāmāsa: pondered, reflected
• Type: Verb
• Form: Periphrastic perfect (लिट्-परस्मैपद; आमास-योग), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Root: cint (धातु)

• dharmātmā: the righteous-souled one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Bahuvrīhi-samāsa (बहुव्रीहि): 'yasya ātmā dharmaḥ saḥ' (whose nature is dharma); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); epithet of Prajāpati
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)

• yadā: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Temporal conjunction/adverb (कालवाचक)
• Role: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)

• tāḥ: those (them)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); refers to 'prajāḥ'
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Negation particle (निषेध)
• Role: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/Negation)
• Root: na (अव्यय)

• adhyagacchata: found, obtained, came upon
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (लङ्/Imperfect past), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Root: adhi + gam (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• प्रजापतिर्देवः = प्रजापतिः + देवः
• सिसृक्षुर्विविधाः = सिसृक्षुः + विविधाः
• नाध्यगच्छत = न + अध्यगच्छत

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Cosmic/atemporal

Speaker

Mahātapā

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Observer/neutral; implied attentive listener within the Varāha–Bhū dialogue frame.

What she asks

How does creation proceed when Prajāpati’s initial attempt to manifest diverse beings does not succeed?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Cosmogony + ethics of agency

Subjects

CosmologyEthics

Core idea

When will/effort does not immediately yield results, the dhārmic creator turns to deep reflection (cintā) rather than disorderly action.

In practice

In dharmic decision-making, pause and examine causes/means (upāya) when outcomes fail; cultivate sattvic deliberation before renewed effort.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Cosmogony
• Sanskrit Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic cosmogonic pattern in which Prajāpati’s creative intention is followed by deliberation when creation does not immediately manifest, illustrating how later Sanskrit narrative texts frame creation as a process involving intention, effort, and reflection.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a cosmological preface rather than a sacred-geography notice.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse implicitly links dharma with responsible action: even a powerful progenitor is described as dharmātmā and as engaging in thoughtful reflection when an intended outcome is not achieved.