Varaha Purana 35.7: Adhyaya 35, Shloka 7

The Account of Soma’s Decline and Restoration, and the Paurṇamāsī Observance

Devanagari script

क्षीणाभवंस्तदा सर्वा ओषध्यश्च विशेषतः । क्षयं गच्छद्भिरत्यर्थमोषधीभिः सुरर्षभाः ॥ ३५.७ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 35.7

Transliteration

kṣīṇābhavaṃstadā sarvā oṣadhyaśca viśeṣataḥ | kṣayaṃ gacchadbhiratyarthamoṣadhībhiḥ surarṣabhāḥ || 35.7 ||

Translation

Da wurden alle Pflanzen schwach, besonders die Heilkräuter. O Stiere unter den Göttern, als die Kräuter übermäßig dem Schwund verfielen, gelangten sie in einen Zustand völliger Erschöpfung.

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Word by Word

• क्षीणाः: depleted / weakened
• क्षीणाः: Karta-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षीण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ओषध्यः)

• अभवन्: became
• अभवन्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ओषध्यः)

• ओषध्यः: medicinal herbs/plants
• ओषध्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/विशेष-अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• क्षयम्: decline / waning
• क्षयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गच्छद्भिः: by (those) going/undergoing
• गच्छद्भिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; ‘by/with those going’ (qualifying ओषधीभिः)

• अत्यर्थम्: excessively
• अत्यर्थम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रता-अव्यय (adverb: exceedingly)

• ओषधीभिः: by the herbs/plants
• ओषधीभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• सुरर्षभाः: O best of the gods
• सुरर्षभाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुराणां ऋषभाः / bulls among the gods = best of gods)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ecological Ethics
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic motif in which ecological imbalance is described through the depletion of oṣadhis (medicinal plants), reflecting early South Asian literary attention to environmental fragility and resource decline.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it presents a generalized ecological condition rather than a place-specific tīrtha or region.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the consequences of unchecked decline of natural resources (especially medicinal flora), implicitly supporting an ethic of environmental stewardship and restraint.