Varaha Purana 144.151: Adhyaya 144, Shloka 151

The Māhātmya of Someśvara and Related Liṅgas: The Liberation-Field of Triveṇī and the Śālagrāma Sacred Landscape

Devanagari script

ग्राहः सम्प्रेरितः पूर्वं वैरयोगमनुस्मरन् ॥ जग्राह सुदृढं पादं गजोऽपि च विषाणतः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 144.151

Transliteration

grāhaḥ sampreritaḥ pūrvaṁ vaira-yogam anusmaran || jagrāha sudṛḍhaṁ pādaṁ gajo 'pi ca viṣāṇataḥ ||

Translation

പൂർവകാരണങ്ങളാൽ പ്രേരിതനായി വൈരബന്ധം സ്മരിച്ച ഗ്രാഹം (മുതല) ഗജത്തിന്റെ പാദം ദൃഢമായി പിടിച്ചു; ഗജവും തന്റെ ദന്തംകൊണ്ട് അതിനെ പ്രഹരിച്ചു।

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Word by Word

• grāhaḥ: the crocodile
• grāhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāha (ग्राह) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sampreritaḥ: impelled / urged
• sampreritaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-pra-īr (सम्+प्र+ईर्/ईर्) (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त); Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘having been impelled/urged’

• pūrvam: formerly / earlier
• pūrvam: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (पूर्व) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of time (कालवाचक)

• vaira-yogam: the connection of enmity / hostile bond
• vaira-yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaira (वैर) + yoga (योग) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• anusmaran: remembering
• anusmaran: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-smṛ (अनु+स्मृ) (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘remembering’

• jagrāha: seized
• jagrāha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (ग्रह्) (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्) Perfect; Parasmaipada; 3rd person, Singular

• sudṛḍham: very firmly
• sudṛḍham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (सु) + dṛḍha (दृढ) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya/Upapada-like with prefix su-; Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying pādam

• pādam: foot
• pādam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (पाद) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• gajaḥ: the elephant
• gajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (गज) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• api: also / even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) meaning ‘also/even’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• viṣāṇataḥ: with (his) tusk / from the tusk
• viṣāṇataḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣāṇa (विषाण) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; used adverbially ‘by/with the tusk(s)’ (source/instrument nuance)

Speaker

Narrator

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Moral Psychology
• Eco-literary Motifs

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It aligns with widely circulating Purāṇic story-templates (notably the Gajendra motif), illustrating how narratives migrate and are adapted across texts and regions.

Which geographic location is identified?

A water setting is implied (continued from the Triveṇī context), but no new named place appears in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse highlights how remembered hostility (vaira) can perpetuate harm, setting the stage for a resolution centered on appeal and deliverance.