Varaha Purana 8.31: Adhyaya 8, Shloka 31

Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices

Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणानां हितार्थाय इतरेषां च तन्मुखम् । इतरेषां तु वर्णानां ब्राह्मणैः कारिताः शुभाः ॥ ८.३१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 8.31

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānāṃ hitārthāya itareṣāṃ ca tanmukham | itareṣāṃ tu varṇānāṃ brāhmaṇaiḥ kāritāḥ śubhāḥ || 8.31 ||

Translation

पंडितों का भला करना यह सब काम का मैन मकसद है। बाकी लोगों के लिए भी पंडितों ने ही अच्छे काम बताए हैं। हर वर्ग के लिए अलग नियम हैं जो पंडितों ने बनाए।

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Word by Word

• brāhmaṇānām: of the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• hita-arthāya: for the welfare/purpose
• hita-arthāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Dative purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hita-artha (प्रातिपदिक: हित + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हितस्य अर्थः)

• itareṣām: of the others
• itareṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• tat-mukham: their chief/face (i.e., Brahmin as the foremost)
• tat-mukham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat-mukha (प्रातिपदिक: तत् + मुख)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तस्य मुखम्)

• itareṣām: of the others
• itareṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• varṇānām: of the classes (varṇas)
• varṇānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• kāritāḥ: were caused to be performed
• kāritāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + ṇic (णिच् causative) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle) of causative ‘कारयति’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि—‘were caused to be done’

• śubhāḥ: auspicious
• śubhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (kāritāḥ इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Sanskrit Philology
• Social Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic-style articulation of social ethics aligned with Dharma-śāstra discourse, where norms for different varṇas are presented as systematized through brāhmaṇical authority.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the content focuses on social-ethical categorization (varṇa) rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse frames ‘auspicious’ practices for different social groups as instituted with an emphasis on welfare and ordered social orientation, presenting a normative hierarchy of prescription.