Varaha Purana 39.38: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 38

Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance

Pūrva Bhāga · Prayāga Māhātmya (Ritual Procedure and Sacred-Place Etiquette)

Devanagari script

ततस्तत्र नरः सम्यक् चक्रवर्त्युपचारतः । स्नात्वा चावश्यकं कृत्वा पुनर्देवगृहं व्रजेत् ॥ ३९.३८ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 39.38

Transliteration

tatastatra naraḥ samyak cakravartyupacārataḥ | snātvā cāvaśyakaṁ kṛtvā punardevagṛhaṁ vrajet || 39.38 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Dann soll dort ein Mensch—nachdem er die vorgeschriebenen Ehrenbezeugungen und Dienste in rechter Weise vollzogen hat, wie es einem Weltenherrscher (Cakravartin) gebührt—nach dem Bad und der Erfüllung der notwendigen Observanzen wieder zum Tempel, dem Haus der Gottheit, gehen.

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Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, तस्मात्-अर्थे (ablatival adverb: ‘thereafter/from that’)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)

• तत्र: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• नरः: a man/person
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन
• Role: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)

• सम्यक्: properly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)

• चक्रवर्ति-उपचारतः: according to royal (cakravartin) procedure
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative): ‘चक्रवर्तिनः उपचारः’ (treatment befitting a cakravartin); तसिल्/तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘according to/from’)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Root: चक्रवर्तिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + उपचार (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• Type: Verb
• Form: त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund), ‘having bathed’
• Role: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)
• Role: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• आवश्यकम्: the necessary duty
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘आवश्यककर्म’ इत्यर्थे (necessary act)
• Role: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Root: आवश्यक (प्रातिपदिक)

• कृत्वा: having done
• Type: Verb
• Form: त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund), ‘having done’
• Role: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)

• पुनः: again/back
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again/back)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)

• देव-गृहम्: temple (house of the deity)
• Type: Noun
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘देवानां गृहं’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (Karma/Object; goal)
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)

• व्रजेत्: should go
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: क्रिया (Action)
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• चक्रवर्त्युपचारतः → चक्रवर्ति + उपचारतः
• च + आवश्यकम् → चावश्यकम्
• पुनः + देवगृहम् → पुनर्देवगृहम् (visarga sandhi: ḥ + d → r + d)

Speaker and setting

Shanta rasaSetting: Temple + bathing ghat/tank

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Bhakti-dharma (seva as discipline)

Subjects

Sacred GeographyRitual PracticeEthicsHeritage Sites

Core idea

Reverent service and personal purity culminate in renewed approach to the divine presence.

In practice

Treat the deity with royal-grade honor (upacāra), keep bodily purity through snāna, finish obligatory duties, then seek darśana/pūjā.

Dharma

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Tīrtha Traditions

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic template for tīrtha etiquette: bathing, completing obligatory duties (āvaśyaka), and returning to the deity’s shrine—useful for reconstructing ritual sequences and pilgrimage norms in medieval Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific place-name is stated within this single verse; however, the chapter’s section-label (commonly transmitted as Prayāga Māhātmya in many recensions) situates the instruction within a sacred-geography/pilgrimage framework.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes disciplined conduct: performing duties correctly (samyak), completing necessary obligations (āvaśyaka), and approaching heritage-sacred spaces (devagṛha) with formal respect (upacāra).