Varaha Purana 175.28: Adhyaya 175, Shloka 28

The Sanctity of the Kṛṣṇagaṅgā Pilgrimage-Ford and the Account of the Brahmin Vasu’s Daughter

Uttara Bhāga · Narrative Episodes (Māhātmya-linked Sacred Geography)

Devanagari script

क्षामोदरी समकुक्षिः पीनोन्नतपयोधरा ॥ कम्बुग्रीवा संवृतास्या सुदती स्वधराहनुः

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 175.28

Transliteration

kṣāmodarī samakukṣiḥ pīnon-nata-payodharā | kambugrīvā saṃvṛtāsyā sudatī svadharāhanuḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

She was slender-waisted, with an even abdomen and full, uplifted breasts; she had a conch-like neck, a well-formed mouth, beautiful teeth, and a firm jaw.

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Word by Word

• क्षाम-उदरी: slender-bellied
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण (adjectival epithet)
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: क्षाम (प्रातिपदिक) + उदरिन्/उदर (प्रातिपदिक)

• सम-कुक्षिः: with even/flawless flanks
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक) + कुक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)

• पीन-उन्नत-पयोधरा: having full, uplifted breasts
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण; बहुपद-समास (multi-member compound)
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: पीन (प्रातिपदिक) + उन्नत (प्रातिपदिक) + पयोधर (प्रातिपदिक)

• कम्बु-ग्रीवा: conch-like necked
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: कम्बु (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रीवा (प्रातिपदिक)

• संवृत-आस्या: with a modest/closed mouth
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण; संवृत = भूतकृदन्त (past participle)
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: संवृत (कृदन्त; √वृ/वृञ् आवरणे) + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• सु-दती: having fine teeth
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दत्/दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)

• स्व-धरा-हनुः: with a chin/jaw like her own (well-formed)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण; बहुपद-समास
• Role: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + हनु (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• पीनोन्नतपयोधरा = पीन-उन्नत-पयोधरा
• संवृतास्या = संवृत-आस्या
• स्वधराहनुः = स्व-धरा-हनुः (समास-विग्रहः अनुमानतः)

Speaker and setting

Shringara and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Narrative-vision space

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Aesthetics/ethics

Subjects

Literary DescriptionAestheticsNarrative

Core idea

Rūpa-lāvaṇya is compelling yet ethically ambivalent; the text’s poetic gaze can foreshadow attachment, temptation, or karmic entanglement.

In practice

Practice seeing beauty without grasping (asakti); cultivate respect and restraint; remember impermanence behind form.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Poetics
• Vaishnavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic narrative style using classical bodily epithets, reflecting shared aesthetic conventions across Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit place-name occurs in this verse; it is a descriptive passage rather than a geographic marker.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No direct ethical instruction is stated; the verse functions primarily as literary description within a narrative context.