Varaha Purana 70.39: Adhyaya 70, Shloka 39

Nārāyaṇa as the Sacrificial Principle, Analysis of the Three Guṇas, and the Account of Delusion-Doctrines

Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma-śāstra and Scriptural Transmission

Devanagari script

तस्मादारभ्य कालं तु मत्प्रणीतॆषु सत्तम । शास्त्रेष्वभिरतो लोको बाहुल्येन भवेदतः ॥ ७०.३९ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 70.39

Transliteration

tasmād ārabhya kālaṃ tu matpraṇīteṣu sattama | śāstreṣv abhirato loko bāhulyena bhaved ataḥ || 70.39 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

तब से लेकर आज तक, लोग मेरे बताए हुए शास्त्र में लगे रहते हैं। ज़्यादा तर लोग वही फॉलो करते हैं।

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Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that (time/point)
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/पञ्चमी), एकवचन
• Role: Apadana (अपादान)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• आरभ्य: starting from
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund used as preposition) ‘beginning from’
• Role: Desha-kala-adhikarana (देश-काल-अधिकरण)
• Root: आ + रभ् (धातु)

• कालम्: time/period
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (काल-परिमाण/extent of time)
• Role: Kala-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)

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

• मत्प्रणीतॆषु: in those composed by me
• Type: Adjective
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: मया प्रणीत (by me composed); ‘प्रणीता’ = प्र + नी (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे बहुवचन-सप्तमी (Locative/सप्तमी, Plural) — शास्त्रेषु इति विशेषण
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: मत्-प्रणीता (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)

• सत्तम: O best of the good
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (श्रेष्ठः सत्)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)

• शास्त्रेषु: in the scriptures/teachings
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/सप्तमी), बहुवचन
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• अभिरतः: devoted
• Type: Adjective
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used adjectivally) ‘devoted/engaged’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: अभि + रम् (धातु)

• लोकः: the people/world
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)

• बाहुल्येन: mostly / in great measure
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental of manner: ‘in abundance/mostly’)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: बाहुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• भवेत्: would become / would be
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: भू (धातु)

• अतः: therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal adverb: therefore/from this)
• Role: Hetu (हेतु)
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• तस्मादारभ्य = तस्मात् + आरभ्य (t + ā → dā by external sandhi)
• शास्त्रेष्वभिरतः = शास्त्रेषु + अभिरतः (u + a → va)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Vira rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Reassured; seeking order amid doctrinal plurality

What she asks

Which teachings will guide people after this turning point, and what establishes the authority of the promulgated śāstras?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Śāstra-prāmāṇya (authority of scripture)

Subjects

EthicsTextual TraditionDharma-śāstra

Core idea

Right living and right knowing are stabilized by disciplined adherence to authentic śāstra rather than personal whim or deceptive persuasion.

In practice

Adopt daily conduct (ācāra) and worship grounded in Veda-aligned śāstra; evaluate innovations by their consonance with established pramāṇa.

The Varaha avatara

Aspect

Dialogue

With the Earth

Varāha asserts authority as promulgator of śāstra; pedagogical interaction within the Earth-dialogue setting.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic self-referential theme: the legitimation and dissemination of normative textual traditions (śāstra) attributed to an authoritative speaker, indicating how communities conceptualized the spread of learned disciplines.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on temporal change (“from that time onward”) and the adoption of śāstra.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes commitment to śāstra—structured, authoritative disciplines—as a guiding framework for collective conduct and learning, presented as a general cultural shift rather than a coercive command.