Varaha Purana 41.30 — Adhyaya 41, Shloka 30

Rite of the Varāha Dvādaśī Vow and an Exemplary Narrative on Expiation for Brahmin-Slaying

Devanagari script

अमूल्य तद्वधं वृत्तं कथयित्वा नराधिपः । भृशं शोकपरीतात्मा रुरोद भृशदुःखितः ॥ ४१.३० ॥

Transliteration

amūlya tad-vadhaṁ vṛttaṁ kathayitvā narādhipaḥ | bhṛśaṁ śoka-parītātmā ruroda bhṛśa-duḥkhitaḥ || 41.30 ||

Translation

O Amūlya, nachdem der König den Hergang jener Tötung geschildert hatte, brach er, von tiefem Kummer überwältigt, in Tränen aus, schwer von Leid bedrängt.

Word by Word

• amūlya: invaluable/terrible (beyond measure)
• amūlya: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-mūlya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; नञ्-प्रत्ययार्थ: ‘not to be valued/immeasurable’—‘vṛttam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tad-vadham: that killing
• tad-vadham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (तस्य वधः), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• vṛttam: the incident
• vṛttam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘event/occurrence’

• kathayitvā: having narrated
• kathayitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्) + ktvā (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (णिजन्त + क्त्वान्त/absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘having narrated/told’

• narādhipaḥ: the king
• narādhipaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhṛśam: exceedingly
• bhṛśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/तीव्रतावाचक (intensifier)

• śoka-parīta-ātmā: whose soul was overwhelmed with grief
• śoka-parīta-ātmā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + parīta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (शोकेन परीतः आत्मा यस्य), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘narādhipaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ruroda: wept
• ruroda: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rud (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• bhṛśa-duḥkhitaḥ: deeply distressed
• bhṛśa-duḥkhitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhṛśa (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (भृशं दुःखितः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘narādhipaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker framework; explicit speaker not indicated in this fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"inner purification (antahkaraṇa-śuddhi)","core_concept":"Śoka and remorse, when truthful, soften ego and prepare the mind for corrective discipline; narration of the act is part of moral reckoning.","practical_application":"Name the wrongdoing without concealment; allow remorse to arise without self-justification, then move toward repair under guidance."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Narrative Literature"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: āśrama interior/clearing

Cross References

Related Themes: 41.41.29 (question about brahmahatyā); 41.41.31 (sage’s reassurance)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king recounts the killing in detail and breaks down in tears, grief saturating his posture before the sage.","item_prompts":["king seated or kneeling, face covered","tears","sage listening silently","hermitage fire or water pot","somber atmosphere"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: expressive hand-to-face gesture, stylized tear lines, sage in composed listening pose, warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold accents minimal; focus on emotional posture; sage with subtle aura; decorative but subdued background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced facial expression and tear detail; soft lighting; realistic hermitage props.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: delicate, poignant composition—king bent in sorrow, sage calm; sparse setting to heighten rasa."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"lamentational","suggested_raga":"Punnagavarali","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, heavy, allowing pauses for śoka"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Dharma Discourse
• Emotional Rasa (Śoka)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: moral and political instruction is conveyed through emotionally charged royal episodes, highlighting grief as a consequence of violent events and as a catalyst for ethical reflection.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it focuses on the king’s reaction after recounting an event.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the human cost of violence (vadha) and frames grief (śoka) as an ethically significant response, implicitly encouraging restraint, accountability, and reflective governance.