Varaha Purana 116.28: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 28

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

येन केनचिद्दत्तेन ततः सौख्यतरं नु किम् ॥ मासि मास्येकदिवसस्त्वमावास्येति योच्यते ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 116.28

Transliteration

yena kenacid dattena tataḥ saukhyataraṃ nu kim || māsi māsy ekadivasas tv amāvāsyeti yocyate ||

Translation

Par quelque moyen que l’on donne quelque chose, qu’y a-t-il de plus favorable au bien-être que le don ? Mois après mois, il est un jour appelé le jour de nouvelle lune (amāvāsyā).

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Word by Word

• yena: by which/with which
• yena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (नपुंसक/पुं), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• kena-cit: by someone/with something (whatever)
• kena-cit: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + cit (चित् अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (नपुंसक/पुं), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); indefinite pronoun (किम् + चित्)

• dattena: by a gift/with what is given
• dattena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: datta (दत्त प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √dā)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (नपुंसक/पुं), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); past passive participle used substantively: ‘by what is given’

• tataḥ: thereafter/than that
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततः अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• saukhyataram: more pleasant/happier
• saukhyataram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saukhyatara (सौख्यतर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); comparative (तर) used predicatively

• nu: indeed?/then?
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle (प्रश्नार्थक निपात)

• kim: what
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन)

• māsi: in a month
• māsi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (मास प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• māsi: in (each) month
• māsi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (मास प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• eka-divasaḥ: one day
• eka-divasaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (एक संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + divasa (दिवस प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्राय: ‘one day’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात); emphasis

• amāvāsyā: new-moon day (Amāvāsyā)
• amāvāsyā: Predicate/Viśeṣya (विधेय/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (अमावास्या प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• yaḥ: which/that (day)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun (referring to ekadivasaḥ)

• ucyate: is called/said
• ucyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Passive (कर्मणि प्रयोग), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Timekeeping
• Dāna Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It links ethical practice (dāna, giving) with calendrical observance, reflecting how Purāṇic literature integrates lunar time-reckoning into household and commemorative rites.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned; the focus is calendrical (amāvāsyā).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To value giving as a source of well-being and to recognize the monthly new-moon day as a significant observance point.