Varaha Purana 113.24: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 24

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Devanagari script

न च जानाम्यहं देव तव किंचिद्विचेष्टितम् ॥ उद्धृत्य मां कथं देव सृजसे किंच कारणम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.24

Transliteration

na ca jānāmyahaṃ deva tava kiṃcidviceṣṭitam || uddhṛtya māṃ kathaṃ deva sṛjase kiṃca kāraṇam

Translation

Et je ne comprends pas, ô Deva, aucune de tes œuvres particulières : m’ayant relevée, comment donc recrées-tu, ô Deva, et pour quelle raison ?

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Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• jānāmi: I know
• jānāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• aham: I
• aham: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (अस्मद्), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• tava: your
• tava: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (युष्मद्), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indefinite pronoun (किम्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vi-ceṣṭitam: (your) activity / deed
• vi-ceṣṭitam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi-√ceṣṭ (धातु) → viceṣṭita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past passive participle used as noun (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); object complement to ‘jānāmi’

• uddhṛtya: having lifted up
• uddhṛtya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; ल्यप्), ‘having lifted up’

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (अस्मद्), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• katham: how
• katham: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), interrogative adverb (प्रश्न-क्रियाविशेषण)

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• sṛjase: you create / you send forth
• sṛjase: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kiṃ: what
• kiṃ: Karma/Prayojana-praśna (कर्म/प्रयोजन-प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun (किम्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially with ‘kāraṇam’ = ‘what (as) cause?’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya/Emphasis (समुच्चय/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात)

• kāraṇam: cause / reason
• kāraṇam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Pṛthivī

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Indian Philosophy
• Cosmogony

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies the Purāṇic mode of embedding philosophical inquiry—especially causality and cosmogenesis—within narrative dialogue.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified; the verse is conceptual, focused on causality and process.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It models reflective inquiry: authority is approached through questioning aimed at understanding purpose and consequence.