Varaha Purana 113.64: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 64

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Devanagari script

वेदेषु चैव नष्टेषु मत्स्यो भूत्वा रसातलम् ॥ प्रविश्य तानथोत्कृष्य ब्रह्मणे दत्तवानसि ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.64

Transliteration

vedeṣu caiva naṣṭeṣu matsyo bhūtvā rasātalam || praviśya tān athotkṛṣya brahmaṇe dattavān asi ||

Translation

When the Vedas had been lost, having become a Fish, you entered Rasātala; then, having retrieved them, you gave them to Brahmā.

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Word by Word

• vedeṣu: when/in the Vedas
• vedeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location; circumstance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Bahuvacana (plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• naṣṭeṣu: lost / destroyed
• naṣṭeṣu: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; √naś past passive participle)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Bahuvacana (plural); kta-pratyaya PPP used adjectivally qualifying vedeṣu

• matsyaḥ: (as) a fish (Matsya)
• matsyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), indicating prior action

• rasātalam: Rasātala (netherworld)
• rasātalam: Karma (कर्म/Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasātala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka-liṅga (neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana (singular)

• praviśya: having entered
• praviśya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)

• tān: them (the Vedas)
• tān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Bahuvacana (plural); refers to ‘vedān’ understood

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Anantaram/ārambha-avyaya (then/thereupon)

• utkṛṣya: having drawn up / retrieved
• utkṛṣya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√kṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)

• brahmaṇe: to Brahmā
• brahmaṇe: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Caturthī vibhakti (Dative/4th), Ekavacana (singular)

• dattavān: (you) gave / have given
• dattavān: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: Kta-vat (क्तवत्) past active participle, Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (singular); periphrastic perfect sense with ‘asi’

• asi: you are (i.e., you have)
• asi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Auxiliary)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana (singular), Parasmaipada; auxiliary with dattavān

Speaker

Varāha (default framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Mythic Historiography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It attests to the widespread Purāṇic motif of safeguarding textual knowledge (the Vedas) through avatāra narratives, relevant to intellectual history and mythic historiography.

Which geographic location is identified?

Rasātala is identified as a netherworld region in Purāṇic cosmography rather than a terrestrial place.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The implied principle is the protection and restoration of foundational knowledge, framed through a mythic exemplar.