Varaha Purana 21.48: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 48

The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari–Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share

Devanagari script

क्व यात पौरुषं त्यक्त्वा दर्पं माहात्म्यमेव च । व्यवसायं कुलं भूतिṃ कथं न स्मर्यते द्रुतम् ॥ २१.४९ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 21.48

Transliteration

kva yāta pauruṣaṃ tyaktvā darpaṃ māhātmyam eva ca | vyavasāyaṃ kulaṃ bhūtiṃ kathaṃ na smaryate drutam || 21.49 ||

Translation

ಪೌರುಷವನ್ನು, ದರ್ಪವನ್ನು, ಸ್ವಮಹಾತ್ಮ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ ಇವರು ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋದರು? ಉದ್ಯಮ, ಕುಲ ಮತ್ತು ಸಮೃದ್ಧಿ—ಇವುಗಳು ಅವರಿಗೆ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಹೇಗೆ ನೆನಪಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ?

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Word by Word

• kva: where
• kva: Deśa (देश-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: where?)

• yāta: have you gone
• yāta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम् (2nd person plural, imperative)

• pauruṣam: manliness / valor
• pauruṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pauruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular neuter)

• tyaktvā: having abandoned
• tyaktvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive): having abandoned

• darpam: pride
• darpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular masculine)

• māhātmyam: greatness / glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular neuter)

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vyavasāyam: resolve / effort
• vyavasāyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyavasāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular masculine)

• kulam: lineage / family
• kulam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular neuter)

• bhūtim: prosperity / power
• bhūtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular feminine)

• katham: how
• katham: Hetu/Prakāra (हेतु/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how?)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• smaryate: is remembered
• smaryate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्/कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive-like: is remembered)

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; not explicitly stated in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Sanskrit Ethics
• Vaishnavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical register that evaluates social standing (kula), prosperity (bhūti), and personal agency (pauruṣa) as unstable, thus situating moral reflection within broader Sanskrit discourse on reputation and impermanence.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a rhetorical-ethical statement rather than a site-specific description.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the fragility of pride and worldly markers (greatness, lineage, prosperity), prompting reflection on how quickly such qualities vanish and how unreliable they are as foundations for lasting remembrance.