Varaha Purana 16.7: Adhyaya 16, Shloka 7

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

Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra / Daitya-saṅgrāma (Earth-restoration and conflict narrative)

Devanagari script

तं दुर्जयं मृतं श्रुत्वा समुद्रान्तःस्थितं तदा । आनीय चतुरङ्गं तु देवान् प्रति विजग्मतुः ॥ १६.७ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 16.7

Transliteration

taṁ durjayaṁ mṛtaṁ śrutvā samudrāntaḥsthitaṁ tadā | ānīya caturaṅgaṁ tu devān prati vijagmatuḥ || 16.7 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

तब सुना कि दुर्जय मर गया। वो समुंदर के अंदर था। दोनों ने अपनी सेना ली। चार तरह की सेना थी। फिर देवताओं की तरफ चले गए।

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• तम्: him/that one
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• दुर्जयम्: Durjaya
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; proper name
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: durjaya (प्रातिपदिक)

• मृतम्: dead
• Type: Adjective
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past participle) from मृ (धातु), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक; qualifies दुर्जयम्
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having heard’
• Role: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: श्रु (धातु)

• समुद्रान्तःस्थितम्: situated within the ocean
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: समुद्रस्य अन्तः (within the ocean) + स्थित (standing/located)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: samudra + antaḥ + sthita (प्रातिपदिक)

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय
• Role: Kala-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)

• आनीय: having brought
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having brought’
• Role: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: आ-नी (धातु)

• चतुरङ्गम्: the fourfold army
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु: चत्वारि अङ्गानि यस्य (fourfold army)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: catur + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)

• तु: indeed/and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निपात (particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: तु (अव्यय)

• देवान्: to the gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रति: towards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय/पूर्वपद (preposition): ‘towards’
• Role: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)

• विजग्मतुः: the two went
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: वि-गम् (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• समुद्रान्तःस्थितम् = समुद्र + अन्तः + स्थितम्
• विजग्मतुः = वि + जग्मतुः (गम्-धातोः लिट्)

Speaker and setting

Vira and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Impermanence and strategic response

Subjects

CosmologyMythic-Historical NarrativeConflict and KingshipSacred Geography (Oceanic realm)

Core idea

News of death (even of a ‘durjaya’) triggers rapid reconfiguration of power; worldly dominance is unstable.

In practice

Respond to changing conditions with clarity and preparedness; avoid complacency about any ‘invincible’ force.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Epic Style

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a conventional Purāṇic narrative motif: the mobilization of a caturaṅga (fourfold army) following news of a pivotal death, reflecting idealized models of warfare and polity in Sanskrit narrative literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse identifies the samudra (ocean), specifically an “interior/within-the-ocean” setting (samudrāntaḥ), a mythic-geographic space frequently used in Purāṇic cosmography rather than a single modern-identifiable site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The fragment primarily functions narratively rather than didactically; its implicit philosophical instruction concerns the consequences of mortality and the rapid political-military response to major shifts in power.