Varaha Purana 178.2: Adhyaya 178, Shloka 2

Ritual Observance for Reciting the Deeds of Śatrughna

Remembrance of the Slaying of Lavaṇa

Uttara Bhāga · Vratānuṣṭhāna and recitation (Pāṭha-phala)

Devanagari script

द्वादश्यां मार्गशीर्षस्य उपोष्य नियतः शुचिः ॥ यः करोति वरारोहे शत्रुघ्नचरितं यथा ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 178.2

Transliteration

dvādaśyāṁ mārgaśīrṣasya upoṣya niyataḥ śuciḥ || yaḥ karoti varārohe śatrughnacaritaṁ yathā ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

मार्गशीर्ष महीने की बारहवीं तारीख को व्रत रखना है। खाना नहीं खाना, अपने आप को संभाल के रखना है। साफ-सुथरा हो के शत्रुघ्न की कहानी सुनानी है या पढ़नी है। जैसे बताया गया है वैसे करना है।

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Word by Word

• dvādaśyām: on the twelfth (lunar day)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Saptamī vibhakti (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (sg.); kāla-adhikaraṇa (time-locative)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)

• mārgaśīrṣasya: of (the month) Mārgaśīrṣa
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (sg.); sambandha (genitive relation)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Root: mārgaśīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• upoṣya: having fasted
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having fasted’ (upavāsaṃ kṛtvā)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: upa-vas (धातु)

• niyataḥ: disciplined, restrained
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.); viśeṣaṇa of implied ‘saḥ/puṁān’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: niyata (प्रातिपदिक)

• śuciḥ: pure, clean
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.); viśeṣaṇa of implied subject
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)

• yaḥ: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.); relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• karoti: does, performs
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (present), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (sg.), Parasmaipada
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: kṛ (धातु)

• varārohe: O fair-hipped one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Sambodhana vibhakti (vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (sg.); संबोधन
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: varārohā (प्रातिपदिक)

• śatrughna-caritam: the story/deeds of Śatrughna
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुंसकliṅga (n.), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (sg.); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (‘of Śatrughna’ + ‘deed/story’); karma of ‘karoti’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: śatrughna (प्रातिपदिक) + carita (प्रातिपदिक)

• yathā: as, in the proper manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; upamā/vidhi-arthaka (as/according to)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• śatrughnacaritam analyzed as śatrughna-caritam (ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Bhakti rasaSetting: Calendar-ritual context

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

What is the proper observance/recitation method and timing for Śatrughna-carita, and what results follow? (Implied by the prescriptive setup.)

The teaching

Path

Sādhana Discipline

Subjects

EthicsRitual practiceCalendar observance

Core idea

Purity (śuci), restraint (niyata), and sacred narrative-performance (carita-anuṣṭhāna) together function as a transformative rite.

In practice

Observe dvādaśī with fasting and mental restraint; recite/listen to dharmic exemplars with procedural care (vidhi), not casually.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Direct address to Bhū-devī (‘varārohe’) while prescribing observance.

Dharma

Vrata

Cross references

Tags

• Vratānuṣṭhāna
• Purāṇic Recitation
• Hindu Calendar Studies
• Textual Ritualism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects the Purāṇic practice of assigning specific calendrical occasions to narrative recitation, helpful for reconstructing historical devotional and didactic schedules.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is specified; the focus is on time (Mārgaśīrṣa dvādaśī) and practice (fasting/recitation).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Self-discipline (niyama) and purity (śauca) are presented as prerequisites for meaningful engagement with instructive narratives.