Varaha Purana 22.8: Adhyaya 22, Shloka 8

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

Pūrva Bhāga · Tapas and Sacred Geography (Himālaya/Himavat narratives)

Devanagari script

कुर्वन्त्या तत् तपश्चोग्रं हिमवन्ते महागिरौ । कालेन महता देवस्तपसाराधितस्तया ॥ २२.८ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 22.8

Transliteration

kurvantyā tat tapaś cograṃ himavante mahāgirau | kālena mahatā devas tapasārādhitas tayā || 22.8 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Während sie jene heftige Askese auf Himavat, dem großen Berge, vollzog, wurde nach langer Zeit die Gottheit durch ihre Bußübung gnädig gestimmt.

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Word by Word

• कुर्वन्त्या: by/while she was performing
• Type: Verb
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/तृतीया), एकवचन; ‘while doing’
• Role: Hetu/Instrument (करण/हेतु)
• Root: कृ (धातु)

• तत्: that
• Type: Adjective
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः-विशेषण)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• तपः: penance
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)
• Role: N/A (अव्यय)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• उग्रम्: severe
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• हिमवन्ते: on/in Himavat (the Himalaya)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Root: हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• महागिरौ: on the great mountain
• Type: Noun
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास: ‘great mountain’; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)

• कालेन: with time/after some time
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साधन/अवधिबोधक
• Role: Karana (करण/Means)
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)

• महता: great/long
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कालेन)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• देवः: the god
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)

• तपसा: by penance
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karana (करण/Means)
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• आराधितः: was propitiated/pleased
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः ‘was propitiated’
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Root: आ + राध् (धातु)

• तया: by her
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Kartr-karana (कर्ता-करण/Agent in passive)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• तपश्चोग्रं = तपः + च + उग्रम्
• देवस्तपसाराधितस्तया = देवः + तपसा + आराधितः + तया

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Mountain (mahāgiri)

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Sādhana

Subjects

Sacred GeographyAsceticism (Tapas)Mythic Narrative

Core idea

Time-tested discipline (kāla + tapas) ripens into divine responsiveness; sacred place supports inner transformation.

In practice

Choose supportive environments for practice; measure progress by steadiness rather than quick results.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic literary motif in which sustained tapas (ascetic discipline) functions as a culturally recognized mechanism for narrative transformation, linking ethical effort with consequential outcomes in the text’s mythic-historical style.

Which geographic location is identified?

Himavat (हिमवत्), a classical Sanskrit designation associated with the Himalayan mountain system; in Purāṇic geography it serves as a paradigmatic sacred landscape for austerities and encounters with devas.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds disciplined perseverance: sustained, intense effort (tapas) over a long duration is presented as a means to cultivate efficacy and achieve intended results within the narrative’s moral logic.