Varaha Purana 64.1: Adhyaya 64, Shloka 1

Procedure for the Vow that Cultivates Valor

Durgā Navamī Observance

Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma-śāstra / Vrata Narratives (Śaurya-vrata)

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । अथापरं प्रवक्ष्यामि शौर्यव्रतमनुत्तमम् । येन भीरोरपि महच्छौर्यं भवति तत्क्षणात् ॥ ६४.१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 64.1

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | athāparaṁ pravakṣyāmi śaurya-vratam anuttamam | yena bhīror api mahac chauryaṁ bhavati tat-kṣaṇāt || 64.1 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Agastya sprach: „Nun werde ich weiter das unübertreffliche Gelübde der Tapferkeit darlegen, durch das selbst ein Furchtsamer augenblicklich große Kühnheit erlangt.“

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Word by Word

• agastyaḥ: Agastya
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)

• uvāca: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: vac (धातु)

• atha: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)
• Role: Nipata (निपात)
• Root: atha (अव्यय)

• aparam: another (topic)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (another) used substantively as object of 'pravakṣyāmi'
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain
• Type: Verb
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)

• śauryavratam: vow of valor
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शौर्यस्य व्रतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: śaurya + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण to 'śauryavratam'
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक)

• yena: by which
• Type: Noun
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; साधन/हेतु (by which)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• bhīroḥ: of a coward
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of a coward’
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: bhīru (प्रातिपदिक)

• api: even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (even/also)
• Role: Nipata (निपात)
• Root: api (अव्यय)

• mahat: great
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण to 'śauryam'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)

• śauryam: valor
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: śaurya (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhavati: becomes
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: √bhū (धातु)

• tatkṣaṇāt: immediately / from that moment
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तस्मिन् क्षणे/तत्क्षण); पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन
• Role: Apadana (अपादान)
• Root: tat + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• अथापरं = अथ + अपरम्
• महच्छौर्यं = महत् + शौर्यम् (त् + श → च्छ)
• तत्क्षणात् = तत् + क्षणात् (त् + क्ष → त्क्ष)

Speaker and setting

Vira and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Agastya

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ethical psychology / self-mastery

Subjects

EthicsVows (Vrata)Didactic Dialogue

Core idea

Courage is cultivable through vrata—structured restraint and resolve can transmute fear into valor swiftly when backed by sacred intention.

In practice

Use disciplined vows (fasting, restraint, mantra/pujā as later specified) as a method to retrain fear responses; commit to a clear saṅkalpa and consistent practice.

Vrata

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Sanskrit
• Dharma-śāstra Discourse
• Vaishnavism (contextual)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic didactic mode where a sage introduces a regulated practice (vrata) as an ethical-psychological discipline, illustrating how Purāṇas also function as practical moral literature alongside mythic narrative.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it serves as an introductory statement to a practice-oriented teaching.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse frames courage as a cultivable quality through disciplined practice (vrata), emphasizing intentional self-transformation rather than fixed temperament.