Varaha Purana 23.15: Adhyaya 23, Shloka 15

The Birth of Gaṇapati, the Emergence of the Vināyakas, and the Significance of the Fourth Lunar Day

Pūrva Bhāga · Kumāra-darśana (Śiva-Umā narrative segment)

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा परमं रूपं कुमारस्य महात्मनः । उमा अनिमेषनेत्राभ्यां तमपश्यत भामिनी ॥ २३.१५ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 23.15

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā paramaṃ rūpaṃ kumārasya mahātmanaḥ | umā animeṣa-netrābhyāṃ tam apaśyata bhāminī || 23.15 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

जब उस कुमार का रूप देखा, वो बहुत खूबसूरत था। उमा ने अपनी आँखें झिंकाए बिना उसे देखती रही। वो सुंदरी उसी को घूरती रही, आँखें नहीं हटाई।

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Word by Word

• तम्: him
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having seen’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Root: दृश् (धातु)

• परमम्: supreme
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन; modifies रूपम्
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)

• रूपम्: form/appearance
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)

• कुमारस्य: of Kumāra
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Gen. 6), एकवचन
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; genitive)
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Gen. 6), एकवचन; qualifies कुमारस्य
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• उमा: Umā
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)

• अनिमेषनेत्राभ्याम्: with unblinking eyes
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instr. 3), द्विवचन (du.); ‘with unblinking eyes’
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: अनिमेषनेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; अनिमेष + नेत्र)

• तम्: him
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अपश्यत: saw
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (sg.), परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: दृश् (धातु)

• भामिनी: the radiant lady
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to उमा
• Role: Karta (कर्ता; appositive)
• Root: भामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• तमपश्यत = तम् + अपश्यत
• अनिमेषनेत्राभ्यां = अनिमेषनेत्र + आभ्याम्

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shringara rasaSetting: Divine household/celestial realm

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Darśana and attention

Subjects

Mythic narrativeTheophany (divine appearance)Aesthetic descriptionDivine family traditions

Core idea

Animiṣa-dṛṣṭi (unblinking gaze) signifies total absorption: perception can become single-pointed, for good (devotion) or for fascination (moha).

In practice

Train ekāgratā: let focused attention become contemplative rather than possessive; redirect fascination into reverence.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Philology
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Shared Mythology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic narrative motif of theophany—an elevated description of a deity’s form—illustrating how Sanskrit Purāṇas employ visual rhetoric (darśana) to structure devotional and literary scenes.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; it is a scene-based narrative description focused on the act of beholding (darśana).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Rather than a direct injunction, the verse foregrounds disciplined attention and contemplative seeing—Umā’s unblinking gaze functions as a literary model of focused awareness in encountering an extraordinary presence.