Varaha Purana 165.46: Adhyaya 165, Shloka 46

The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well

Devanagari script

प्रेत उवाच ॥ कथितं हि मया पूर्वं यद्वृत्तं हि पुरातनम् ॥ वाचकाय तु यद्दत्तं सुवर्णस्य च माषकम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 165.46

Transliteration

preta uvāca || kathitaṃ hi mayā pūrvaṃ yadvṛttaṃ hi purātanam || vācakāya tu yad dattaṃ suvarṇasya ca māṣakam

Translation

प्रेत ने कहा, मैंने पहले भी बताया था पुरानी कहानी क्या है। मैंने कथावाचक को सोने का थोड़ा सा दान किया था।

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Word by Word

• प्रेतः: the ghost/pretā
• प्रेतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कथितम्: told/related
• कथितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग-सूचक; ‘told/said’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-भाव

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (Instr/3rd), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly/before
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• यत्: which/that which
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• वृत्तम्: event/occurrence
• वृत्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• पुरातनम्: ancient/old
• पुरातनम्: Karma-anvaya (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• वाचकाय: to the reciter/reader
• वाचकाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dat/4th), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अवधारण

• यत्: which/that which
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• सुवर्णस्य: of gold
• सुवर्णस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (usage varies), षष्ठी (Gen/6th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• माषकम्: a māṣaka (small coin/measure)
• माषकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (coin-name; often masc), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Preta

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Dharma Discourse
• Textual Orality (recitation culture)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It provides an explicit speech marker (preta uvāca) and reiterates the economy of patronage around recitation, a key feature of Purāṇic dissemination.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is named in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Even small acts of support to cultural-religious labor (recitation) are framed as ethically meaningful within the narrative logic.