Varaha Purana 174.39: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 39

The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship

Uttara Bhāga · Dharma-śāstra / Pretatva (ethical causes of becoming a preta)

Devanagari script

तेनैव चोदरस्थेन स प्रेतो जायते ध्रुवम् ॥ नग्नकापालिपाषण्डसङ्गतासनभोजनैः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 174.39

Transliteration

tenaiva codarasthena sa preto jāyate dhruvam || nagnakāpālipaṣaṇḍasaṅgatāsanabhojanaiḥ

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

वो खाना पेट में रहता है तो वो आदमी ज़रूर प्रेत बन जाता है। नंगे साधुओं के साथ बैठना, खोपड़ी वाले लोगों के साथ रहना, गलत लोगों के साथ खाना खाना, यह सब चीज़ें भी प्रेत बनाती हैं।

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Word by Word

• tena: by that
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन
• Role: Karaṇa (करण) / Hetu (हेतु)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• eva: indeed / alone
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) — emphasis
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• udara-sthena: by what is in the stomach
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘उदरे स्थित’ (located in the belly)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण) / Hetu (हेतु)
• Root: udara (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)

• saḥ: he
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• pretaḥ: a preta
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) in predicate-state
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: jan (धातु)

• dhruvam: certainly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय (adverb)
• Role: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)

• nagna-kāpāli-pāṣaṇḍa-saṅgata-āsana-bhojanaiḥ: by association, seating, and eating with naked ascetics, Kāpālikas, and heretics
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective copulative): ‘(by) association/seat/food with naked (ascetics), Kāpālika-s, and heretics’
• Role: Karaṇa (करण) / Hetu (हेतु)
• Root: nagna (प्रातिपदिक) + kāpāli (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṣaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅgata (कृदन्त, सम्+गम् धातु) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + bhojana (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• tenaiva = tena + eva (a+e→ai)
• codarasthena = ca + udara-sthena (a+u→o)

Speaker and setting

Bhayanaka and Shanta rasa

Speaker

Vipra

The teaching

Path

Karma Psychology

Subjects

EthicsSocial association normsPost-mortem states

Core idea

Saṅga (company) and sahabhojana (commensality) are portrayed as transmitters of moral/ritual consequence.

In practice

Choose company and shared meals carefully according to one’s vowed dharma boundaries (as defined by the text).

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Polemical Vocabulary
• Dharma-śāstra discourse
• Sanskrit Lexicography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves sectarian labeling and social-boundary language valuable for mapping inter-tradition perceptions in medieval/late-classical Sanskrit discourse.

Which geographic location is identified?

No place-name appears here.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The text warns that certain foods and certain associations (especially commensality) are portrayed as leading to an undesirable post-mortem state.