Varaha Purana 16.23: Adhyaya 16, Shloka 23

The Account of Saramā: Indra’s Restoration after Loss of Sovereignty

Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra (Restoration of the Earth) — Narrative Continuation

Devanagari script

इत्युक्तास्तेन सूक्ष्मेण वपुषा जग्मुरञ्जसा । तेऽप्यागम्य सुरेन्द्राय नमश्चक्रुर्धराधरे ॥ १६.२३ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 16.23

Transliteration

ity uktās tena sūkṣmeṇa vapuṣā jagmur añjasā | te 'py āgamya surendrāya namaś cakrur dharādhare || 16.23 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

जब उसने उनसे बात की, वो उसके छोटे रूप में थे। वो जल्दी से चले गए। वहीं पहुँच के उन्हे देवों के स्वामी को पर्वत पर नमन किया। वो धरती को धारण करते हैं।

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Word by Word

• iti: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-प्रयोगः)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Root: iti (अव्यय)

• uktāḥ: (they) having been told/said to
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/ktá), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; used predicatively ‘having been said/told’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) (of implied state: ‘they, being addressed’)
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)

• tena: by him/with that
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• sūkṣmeṇa: subtle
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; agrees with vapuṣā
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)

• vapuṣā: with (his) body/form
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: vapus (प्रातिपदिक)

• jagmuḥ: went
• Type: Verb
• Form: Perfect (लिट्/liṭ), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: gam (धातु)

• añjasā: straightway/easily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverbial instrumental usage (तृतीयार्थे अव्ययवत्)
• Role: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: añjas (प्रातिपदिक)

• te: they
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• api: also/too
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: api (अव्यय)

• āgamya: having come
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), ‘having come’
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया) (पूर्वकालिक)
• Root: ā√gam (धातु) → āgamya (कृदन्त)

• surendrāya: to the lord of the gods (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; Tatpuruṣa: surāṇām indraḥ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
• Role: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: sura-indra (प्रातिपदिक)

• namaḥ: salutation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya-like usage of neuter noun namas; used as interjection of salutation
• Role: Karma (कर्म) (object of ‘did/made’)
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)

• cakruḥ: made/did (i.e., offered)
• Type: Verb
• Form: Perfect (लिट्/liṭ), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: kṛ (धातु)

• dharādhare: on the mountain (earth-holder)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; Tatpuruṣa: dharāyāḥ dharaḥ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: dharā-dhara (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• te 'py = te api
• namaś cakruḥ = namaḥ cakruḥ (visarga → ś before c)
• dharādhare is a compound (dharā + dhara)

Speaker and setting

Vira and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Mountain / fortified divine station

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Means and ends in dharma

Subjects

Narrative TransitionDivine Hierarchy (Indra as surendra)Movement/Arrival Motif

Core idea

Right action may require adaptive means (subtle form), but must remain anchored in reverence, discipline, and rightful order.

In practice

Be flexible in method while steady in principles; combine competence with humility.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a common Purāṇic narrative device: a rapid transition after instruction (ity uktāḥ … jagmuḥ), followed by formal homage to a cosmic authority (surendra), reflecting courtly and hierarchical idioms in Sanskrit epic-Purāṇic literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific toponym is given; the term dharādhara can denote a mountain or ‘earth-holder’ as a setting, but it is not uniquely identifiable to a single modern geographic location from this verse alone.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys a cultural-philosophical norm of respectful conduct—offering salutation (namaś cakruḥ) to a recognized authority—rather than a direct prescriptive ethical rule.