Varaha Purana 113.43: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 43

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Pūrva Bhāga · Calendrical Cycles (Māsa–Pakṣa–Saṃvatsara)

Devanagari script

मासः पक्षमहोरात्रमृतुः संवत्सराण्यपि

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.43

Transliteration

māsaḥ pakṣa-mahorātram ṛtuḥ saṃvatsarāṇy api

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Bulan, paruh bulan (pakṣa), siang dan malam, musim—dan juga tahun-tahun (saṃvatsara).

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Word by Word

• मासः: month
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)

• पक्ष-महोरात्रम्: fortnight and day-night (cycle)
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः: ‘पक्षश्च अहोरात्रं च’ (fortnight and day-night as a collective)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• ऋतुः: season
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)

• संवत्सराणि: years
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• पक्षमहोरात्रम् = पक्ष + महोरात्रम् (महोरात्रम् = अहोरात्रम् with vṛddhi/usage)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Time-cycle framework

Speaker

Pṛthivī

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She worships

Her state of mind

Reflective, seeking coherence in cycles

What she asks

‘What is the single reality underlying all recurring cycles—monthly, seasonal, annual—by which beings live and rites are timed?’

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Time as divine manifestation

Subjects

Time cyclesCalendricsCosmology

Core idea

All temporal cycles are expressions of the same indwelling Lord.

In practice

Align personal discipline with natural cycles (daily, fortnightly, seasonal); use recurring time as a scaffold for sādhana rather than mere passage.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Continuation of Pṛthivī’s praise: the Lord is identified with larger calendric cycles (month, fortnight, day-night, seasons, years).

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmology
• History of Timekeeping
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It provides a compact list of time divisions used in ritual, agricultural, and administrative contexts across classical South Asia, illustrating the Purāṇic role in preserving calendrical vocabulary.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is mentioned; the verse is about temporal structure.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No explicit ethical rule is given; the verse foregrounds cyclical time, a concept that often frames duties as seasonally and contextually appropriate in related literature.