Varaha Purana 144.127: Adhyaya 144, Shloka 127

The Māhātmya of Someśvara and Related Liṅgas: The Liberation-Field of Triveṇī and the Śālagrāma Sacred Landscape

Uttara Bhāga · Prayāga–Triveṇī Māhātmya (Sacred Geography Narrative)

Devanagari script

गजो भव मदान्धस्त्वं यो मामेवं प्रभाषसे ॥ एवं तौ ग्राहमातङ्गावभूतां शापतः पृथक् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 144.127

Transliteration

gajo bhava madāndhas tvaṃ yo mām evaṃ prabhāṣase || evaṃ tau grāhamātaṅgāv abhūtāṃ śāpataḥ pṛthak

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

जय ने कहा, तुम हाथी बन जाओ, अपने बाप पर इतना भरोसा। इतना घमंड मत करो। शाप से दोनों अलग हो गए। एक मगरमच्छ बन गया, एक हाथी।

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Word by Word

• गजः: elephant
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)

• भव: become!
• Type: Verb
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: भू (धातु)

• मदान्धः: blinded by rut/intoxication
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मदेन अन्धः) ‘blinded by intoxication’
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: मद + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)

• त्वम्: you
• Type: Noun
• Form: मध्यम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• माम्: me
• Type: Noun
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)

• प्रभाषसे: you speak (to me)
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: भाष् (धातु)

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)

• तौ: those two
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ग्राह-मातङ्गौ: the crocodile and the elephant
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (crocodile and elephant)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: ग्राह (प्रातिपदिक) + मातङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)

• अभूताम्: became
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: भू (धातु)

• शापतः: because of a curse
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)
• Role: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)

• पृथक्: separately, apart
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; भेदवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• मदान्धस्त्वम् = मदान्धः + त्वम्
• मामेवम् = माम् + एवम्
• ग्राहमातङ्गावभूताम् = ग्राहमातङ्गौ + अभूताम्

Speaker and setting

Raudra and Bhayanaka rasaSetting: Narrative space

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She listens

What she asks

What is the karmic cost of contemptuous speech and anger—can a single utterance reshape destiny?

The teaching

Path

Karma And Vāk Śakti

Subjects

EthicsConsequences of speechMythic transformation (śāpa)

Core idea

Vāk (speech) carries creative/destructive power; when driven by krodha it binds both speaker and target into karmic consequence.

In practice

Cultivate kṣamā (forbearance) and vāg-saṃyama; avoid utterances meant to degrade another’s being or status.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Mythology
• Moral Psychology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a widespread Purāṇic trope: transformation through śāpa, used to encode moral causality and to connect human conflict to later sacred-geography episodes.

Which geographic location is identified?

None in this verse; later verses localize the transformed beings to specific sacred regions (e.g., Gaṇḍakī, Triveṇī).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Speech and pride have consequences; disrespectful dialogue is framed as a catalyst for severe outcomes in the narrative logic.