Varaha Purana 182.2: Adhyaya 182, Shloka 2

Installation of a Stone Image

Ritual Procedure for Consecration

Devanagari script

सुरूपां च शिलां दृष्ट्वा निःशल्यां सुपरिक्षिताम् ॥ तत्र दक्षं रूपकारं शीघ्रं च विनियोजयेत् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 182.2

Transliteration

surūpāṃ ca śilāṃ dṛṣṭvā niḥśalyāṃ suparīkṣitām || tatra dakṣaṃ rūpakāraṃ śīghraṃ ca viniyojayet ||

Translation

Al ver una piedra de buena forma, sin defectos y cuidadosamente examinada, debe emplearse allí sin demora a un escultor experto.

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Word by Word

• su-rūpām: well-formed/beautiful
• su-rūpām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying śilām

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• śilām: stone/slab
• śilām: Karma (कर्म/object of dṛṣṭvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (क्रियापूर्वक/preceding action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), having seen

• niḥ-śalyām: free from flaws/foreign matter
• niḥ-śalyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (उपसर्ग) + śalya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying śilām; niḥ = without

• su-parīkṣitām: well-examined
• su-parīkṣitām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय) + parīkṣita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from pari+īkṣ)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying śilām

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of place (देशवाचक)

• dakṣam: skilled
• dakṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying rūpakāram

• rūpakāram: sculptor/image-maker
• rūpakāram: Karma (कर्म/object of viniyojayet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक used adverbially)
• Form: Avyaya-kalpa (अव्ययवत्), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) from neuter accusative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• viniyojayet: should employ/assign
• viniyojayet: Kriya (क्रिया/prescription)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + ni + yuj (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Temple Art
• Iconography
• Heritage Conservation

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents technical criteria for selecting stone and the recognized role of specialized artisans, relevant to the study of early Indian craft guilds and temple construction.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is specified; the instruction is portable and applicable to multiple sacred or civic building contexts.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Due diligence—careful examination of materials and reliance on expertise—functions as a practical ethic in ritual craftsmanship.