Varaha Purana 116.19: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 19

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

दरिद्रो जायते दाता ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ द्विभार्यः पुरुषो यस्तु तयोरेकां प्रशंसति

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.19

Transliteration

daridro jāyate dātā tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || dvibhāryaḥ puruṣo yas tu tayor ekāṃ praśaṃsati

Translation

ദാനി ദരിദ്രനായി ജനിക്കുന്നു—ഇതിലധികം ദുഃഖകരം എന്തുണ്ട്? രണ്ട് ഭാര്യമാരുള്ള പുരുഷൻ അവരിൽ ഒരുത്തിയെയേ പ്രശംസിക്കൂ।

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• daridraḥ: poor
• daridraḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daridra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन); predicative adjective

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present/लट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• dātā: giver, donor
• dātā: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक; from √dā दा)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; agent noun (कर्ता-वाचक)

• tataḥ: therefore, then
• tataḥ: Sambandha/Hetu (सम्बन्ध/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning 'therefore/then/from that'

• duḥkha-taram: more painful / worse
• duḥkha-taram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + tara (प्रत्यय)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā/ Dvitīyā vibhakti (Nom/Acc; प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; comparative degree (तुलनात्मक)

• nu: indeed? / then?
• nu: Prayojaka-nipāta (प्रयोजक-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात) used in questions/emphasis

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/ Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; interrogative pronoun (प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम)

• dvi-bhāryaḥ: having two wives
• dvi-bhāryaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या) + bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; dvigu compound meaning 'having two wives' (द्विगु-समास)

• puruṣaḥ: man
• puruṣaḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun (सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम)

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Samuccaya/Avadhāraṇa (समुच्चय/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction/particle (निपात) meaning 'but/indeed'

• tayoḥ: of the two (of them)
• tayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃ/Napुंसaka, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Dvivacana (Dual/द्विवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• ekām: one (woman)
• ekām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; numeral/pronoun used substantively

• praśaṃsati: praises
• praśaṃsati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-śaṃs (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Varāha (default, instructional voice)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Social History
• Moral Philosophy

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves moral reflections on perceived injustice (a generous person being poor) and on domestic partiality, both common themes in didactic literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is referenced.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To observe that outcomes may appear paradoxical (generosity with poverty) and that partiality within relationships is a source of suffering.