Varaha Purana 97.26: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 26

The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-māhātmya (Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage Narratives)

Devanagari script

गङ्गायां देवदेवेशो यावन्मज्जति भामिनि॥ भवेत्कपालं पतितं हस्ताग्राद्ब्रह्मणः पुरा॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 97.26

Transliteration

gaṅgāyāṃ devadeveśo yāvan majjati bhāmini || bhavet kapālaṃ patitaṃ hastāgrād brahmaṇaḥ purā ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

जब भगवान गंगा में उतरे, तो उनके हाथ से वो खाल गिर गया। यह खाल ब्रह्मा का था, पहले से उनके पास था।

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Word by Word

• gaṅgāyām: in the Gaṅgā
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)

• devadeveśaḥ: Lord of gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa ‘lord of gods’ (देवानां ईशः)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deveśa (प्रातिपदिक)

• yāvat: as long as / until
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; temporal limit marker (यावत् = ‘as long as/until’)
• Role: Kāla-adhikaraṇa/Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (कालाधिकरण/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)

• majjati: immerses / sinks
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: majj (धातु)

• bhāmini: O lovely one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: bhāminī (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhavet: would be / might occur
• Type: Verb
• Form: Liṅ (लिङ्, Optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: bhū (धातु)

• kapālam: skull
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); subject of bhavet
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)

• patitam: fallen
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with kapālam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: pat (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)

• hastāgrāt: from the tip of the hand
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘tip of the hand’ (हस्तस्य अग्रं)
• Role: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)

• purā: formerly / long ago
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of time (कालवाचक)
• Role: Kāla-adhikaraṇa/Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (कालाधिकरण/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: purā (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• भवेत्कपालं = भवेत् + कपाळम्
• हस्ताग्राद्ब्रह्मणः = हस्ताग्रात् + ब्रह्मणः

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Sacred river / snāna-tīrtha

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Alert, inquisitive

What she asks

Implicit: how did the kapāla (skull) become dislodged during Gaṅgā-snāna, and what is its significance?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Symbolic purification

Subjects

Heritage SitesRiver EcologySacred GeographyMythic Narrative

Core idea

Impurity and bondage can ‘fall away’ when one enters a field of heightened sacredness with right intent; external sign mirrors inner release.

In practice

Approach tīrtha-snāna as inner repentance and surrender; treat sacred ecology (river) as living dharma-space, not mere scenery.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa
• Sacred Rivers
• Cultural Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It associates release from a symbolic burden with immersion in the Gaṅgā, reflecting the Purāṇic role of rivers as cultural-ritual centers and as markers of sacred geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

The Gaṅgā (Ganges River), here within the Vārāṇasī setting implied by the preceding verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It conveys a theme of purification through disciplined approach to culturally significant landscapes, without framing it as coercive doctrine.