Varaha Purana 39.63: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 63

Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological Time-Reckoning (Yuga–Manvantara–Kalpa Measures)

Devanagari script

तैरेकसप्ततियुगं भवेन्मन्वन्तरं मुने । चतुर्दशाहो ब्राह्मस्तु तावती रात्रिरिष्यते ॥ ३९.६३ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 39.63

Transliteration

tairekasaptatiyugaṃ bhaven manvantaraṃ mune | caturdaśāho brāhmas tu tāvatī rātrir iṣyate || 39.63 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Menurut perhitungan itu, wahai resi, satu manvantara terdiri dari tujuh puluh satu yuga. Siang Brahmā mencakup empat belas (manvantara), dan malam dengan lamanya yang sama juga diterima.

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Word by Word

• taiḥ: by those; with those
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• eka-saptati-yugam: seventy-one yugas
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (ekā saptatiḥ = 71; 71 yugas)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: eka (संख्याशब्द) + saptati (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhavet: would be; is said to be
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)

• manu-antarām: a manvantara
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (manor antaram = interval of a Manu)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)

• mune: O sage
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)

• caturdaśa-ahaḥ: a period of fourteen days
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (14 days)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्याशब्द) + ahan/ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक)

• brāhmaḥ: of Brahmā; Brahmic
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ahaḥ)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: but; indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• tāvatī: of that same measure; equally long
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक विशेषण
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: tāvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• rātriḥ: night
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)

• iṣyate: is considered; is accepted
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is considered/accepted)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: iṣ (इष् धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• tairekasaptatiyugam → taiḥ + eka-saptati-yugam
• bhaven manvantaram → bhavet + manvantaram (t→n before m). caturdaśāho → caturdaśa + ahaḥ

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Cosmic/temporal schema

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

How do yuga-units scale into manvantara, and how do manvantaras compose Brahmā’s day and night?

The teaching

Path

Cosmology/time

Subjects

CosmologyTime CyclesPuranic Chronology

Core idea

Manvantara is 71 yugas; 14 manvantaras form Brahmā’s day, with an equal night—creation and dissolution are rhythmic.

In practice

Cultivate perspective: personal crises and achievements are tiny within kalpa-time; prioritize dharma and liberation over transient gains.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Cosmology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic scholastic interest in systematic chronology, presenting standardized measures (yuga, manvantara, Brahmā’s day/night) used across classical Sanskrit cosmological literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is cosmological and concerned with temporal measurement rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse does not present a direct ethical injunction; its philosophical function is descriptive—articulating an ordered framework for understanding cosmic time.