Varaha Purana 113.34: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 34

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Pūrva Bhāga · Pṛthivī-uddhāra (Earth’s appeal and recourse to Viṣṇu)

Devanagari script

कृताञ्जलिपुटा देवी प्रसादयति माधवम् ।। धरण्युवाच ।। अहं भारसमायुक्ता ब्रह्माणं शरणङ्गता

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.34

Transliteration

kṛtāñjalipuṭā devī prasādayati mādhavam || dharaṇy uvāca || ahaṃ bhārasamāyuktā brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṅgatā

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

देवी ने हाथ जोड़े और भगवान से प्रसाद माँगा। धरती ने कहा, मैं बहुत बोझ उठा रही हूँ। मैं ब्रह्मा की शरण में आ गई हूँ।

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• कृताञ्जलिपुटा: with hands folded in reverence
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कृतः अञ्जलिपुटः यस्याः)
• Role: कर्तृविशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Root: कृत + अञ्जलि + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)

• देवी: the goddess
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रसादयति: propitiates/pleases
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘to propitiate/please’ (प्रसादयति)
• Role: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Root: सद् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)

• माधवम्: Mādhava (Vishnu)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (Karma)
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)

• धरणी: Dharaṇī (Earth)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देश (speaker tag)
• Role: कर्ता (Kartā; of ‘uvāca’)
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक)

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Root: वच् (धातु)

• अहम्: I
• Type: Noun
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• भारसमायुक्ता: burdened/loaded with weight
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भारेण सम्यक् युक्ता)
• Role: कर्तृविशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Root: भार + सम् + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from युज् with सम्)

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (Karma)
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• शरणङ्गता: having taken refuge (in)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (शरणं गता)
• Role: कर्तृविशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Root: शरण + गता (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from गम्)

Sandhi Notes

• धरण्युवाच = धरणी + उवाच
• शरणङ्गता = शरणम् + गता (m-sandhi: म् + ग → ङ्ग)

Speaker and setting

Karuna and Shanta rasaSetting: Divine realm

Speaker

Dharaṇī (Pṛthivī)

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She asks

Her state of mind

Burdened, distressed, pleading for relief

What she asks

How can Earth be relieved of her burden when even Brahmā has been approached for refuge?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Bhakti / śaraṇāgati

Subjects

CosmologyEthicsEcological Narratives

Core idea

When burdened beyond capacity, the proper response is humble surrender (añjali) to the supreme, not mere self-reliance.

In practice

Adopt añjali and verbal confession of one’s burden; seek higher guidance rather than escalating worldly struggle.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Earth (Dharaṇī) approaches Mādhava with añjali, seeking grace; interaction is supplication and refuge-seeking rather than physical lifting.

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Purāṇic Dialogue
• Personification of Earth

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies the Purāṇic use of personified Earth as a narrative agent, a key feature for studying environmental imaginaries and political-theological metaphors in Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is given; Dharaṇī (Earth) speaks in a universal, cosmological register.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It highlights refuge-seeking and respectful petition as normative responses to overwhelming burden—an ethic of humility and procedural recourse.