Varaha Purana 22.12: Adhyaya 22, Shloka 12

Gaurī’s Rebirth, Umā’s Austerities, Rudra’s Test, and the Himalayan Wedding

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-kathā (Sacred Geography) — Gaṅgā Snāna Narrative Context

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तस्तदा विप्रस्तस्य पार्श्वे महानदीम् । गङ्गां जगाम स्नानार्थी स्नानं कर्त्तुमवातरात् ॥ २२.१२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 22.12

Transliteration

evamuktas tadā vipras tasya pārśve mahānadīm | gaṅgāṃ jagāma snānārthī snānaṃ kartum avātarat || 22.12 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

So angesprochen, begab sich der Brāhmaṇa zu der nahegelegenen großen Flussgöttin Gaṅgā; um zu baden, stieg er hinab, um das rituelle Bad zu vollziehen.

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Word by Word

• evam: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: evam (अव्यय)

• uktaḥ: having been addressed
• Type: Verb
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; “having been told/addressed”
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (क्त)

• tadā: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक
• Role: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)

• vipraḥ: the brāhmaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)

• tasya: of her/of that (person)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; genitive)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• pārśve: at the side/nearby
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahā-nadīm: the great river
• Type: Noun
• Form: कर्मधारय (विशेषण-विशेष्य: “great river”); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म; destination as object of motion)
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)

• gaṅgām: Gaṅgā
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; apposition to mahānadīm
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)

• jagāma: went
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: gam (धातु)

• snāna-arthī: seeking to bathe
• Type: Adjective
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (purpose: “desirous of bathing”); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण vipraḥ
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + arthin (प्रातिपदिक)

• snānam: bath
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)

• kartum: to do
• Type: Verb
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थक (in order to do)
• Role: Prayojana (प्रयोजन; purpose)
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)

• avātarat: descended
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; “descended/entered (the river)”
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: ava+ tṛ (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• evam+uktaḥ → evamuktaḥ
• vipraḥ+tasya → vipras tasya (visarga sandhi)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: River/tīrtha

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-śuddhi (purification through right action)

Subjects

GeographyHeritage SitesEthics

Core idea

External purification (snāna) mirrors inner readiness for dharma and restraint.

In practice

Approach sacred acts with preparatory discipline—cleanliness, intention, and reverence for tīrthas.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Ecological Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic narrative pattern where sacred geography (tīrthas such as the Gaṅgā) is integrated into ethical and ritual life, documenting how pilgrimage and bathing practices are framed within classical Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

The Gaṅgā (Ganges) is named explicitly; in modern identification it corresponds to the Ganges river system of North India, a major cultural-heritage landscape frequently referenced in Purāṇic tīrtha traditions.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds purification-through-practice: the learned figure undertakes snāna as a disciplined act, illustrating the broader Purāṇic theme that personal conduct and ritual observance are linked with engagement with culturally significant natural sites.