Varaha Purana 137.129: Adhyaya 137, Shloka 129

The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field

Devanagari script

दुर्बलं प्रबलं भूत्वा प्रबलं दुर्बलं भवेत् ॥ पापान्तरं समासाद्य गहना कर्मणो गतिः

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 137.129

Transliteration

durbalaṃ prabalaṃ bhūtvā prabalaṃ durbalaṃ bhavet || pāpāntaraṃ samāsādya gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

Translation

जो कमज़ोर है वो स्ट्रॉंग बन जाता है। जो स्ट्रॉंग है वो कमज़ोर हो जाता है। फिर कोई और पाप हो जाए तो समझ में नहीं आता। कर्म का रास्ता बहुत उलझा होता है।

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Word by Word

• durbalam: weak (state/thing)
• durbalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; karmadhāraya: dur + bala = weak

• prabalam: strong
• prabalam: Karma-pravṛtti/Predicative (पूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; used as predicate complement with bhūtvā

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु) → bhūtvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; ‘having become’

• prabalam: the strong
• prabalam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; here as subject-like neuter ‘the strong’ (प्रबलम्)

• durbalam: weak
• durbalam: Karma/Predicative (पूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; complement with bhavet

• bhavet: may become / would become
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• pāpa-antaram: another sin / a further wrongdoing
• pāpa-antaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; tatpuruṣa: pāpasya antaram (another sin / sin in between)

• samāsādya: having encountered / having reached
• samāsādya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-sad (धातु) → samāsādya (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-प्राय)
• Form: Gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वार्थक अव्ययकृदन्त) meaning ‘having reached/encountered’

• gahanā: deep / hard to fathom
• gahanā: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gahana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st), Singular; qualifying gatiḥ

• karmaṇaḥ: of action / of karma
• karmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• gatiḥ: course / path / consequence
• gatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Varāha (default instructor voice in dialogue)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Karma Theory
• Moral Philosophy

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It captures a widely attested Sanskrit ethical reflection on contingency and moral causality, useful for comparative study across Purāṇas and Dharma literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic marker appears in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It cautions against complacency: conditions can reverse, and compounding wrongdoing obscures outcomes and deepens entanglement.