Varaha Purana 187.38: Adhyaya 187, Shloka 38

Determination of the Origin and Procedure of the Ancestral Offering

Pitṛyajña/Śrāddha

Devanagari script

एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशी निष्परिग्रहः ॥ शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 187.38

Transliteration

ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśī niṣparigrahaḥ || śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ

Translation

वो अकेला बैठ गया। अपना मन और दिमाग संभाल लिया। कुछ भी चाहिए नहीं, कुछ भी अपना नहीं। साफ जगह पे अपना आसन बिछाया और पक्का बैठ गया।

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Word by Word

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + ākī/ākīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘alone’ (एक + आकी/आकीन)

• yata-citta-ātmā: with restrained mind and self
• yata-citta-ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yata (प्रातिपदिक) + citta (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘one whose mind and self are restrained’

• nirāśī: desireless
• nirāśī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-āśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘without desire/expectation’

• niṣparigrahaḥ: without possessions
• niṣparigrahaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣ-parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘without possessions’

• śucau: in a pure
• śucau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; used adjectivally with deśe

• deśe: place
• deśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• pratiṣṭhāpya: having placed
• pratiṣṭhāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-sthā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष), from √pratiṣṭhā/√sthā causative sense ‘having set/placed’

• sthiram: steady
• sthiram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying āsanam

• āsanam: seat
• āsanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ātmanaḥ: for oneself / of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; reflexive ‘of oneself’

Speaker

Varāha (default, not explicit in fragment)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Yoga and Ascetic Ideals
• Purāṇic Ethics
• Meditation Practice

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a recognizable ascetic-meditative profile (solitude, non-possession, clean place, stable seat), showing convergence between Purāṇic instruction and broader yoga/śramaṇa-style disciplines.

Which geographic location is identified?

Only a generic ‘clean place’ (śucau deśe) is mentioned, not a named site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Non-attachment and self-restraint as prerequisites for disciplined practice.