Varaha Purana 199.1: Adhyaya 199, Shloka 1

Description of the Torments of Rebirth: The Asipatravana Punishment and the Mechanics of Karmic Retribution

Devanagari script

पुनः संसारचक्रयातनास्वरूपवर्णनम् ॥ ऋषिपुत्र उवाच ॥ तस्मिन् क्षितितलं सर्वमायसैः कण्टकैश्चितम् ॥ प्रभवन्ति पुनः केचिद्विषमं तमसाश्रितम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 199.1

Transliteration

punaḥ saṁsāra-cakra-yātanā-svarūpa-varṇanam || ṛṣi-putra uvāca || tasmin kṣiti-talaṁ sarvam āyasaiḥ kaṇṭakaiś citam || prabhavanti punaḥ kecid viṣamaṁ tamasāśritam

Translation

വീണ്ടും സംസാരചക്രത്തിലെ യാതനകളുടെ സ്വരൂപവർണ്ണനം. ഋഷിപുത്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ സ്ഥലത്ത് ഭൂമിയുടെ മുഴുവൻ തലം ഇരുമ്പുമുള്ളുകളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു; പിന്നെയും ചിലർ അവിടെ ഉദ്ഭവിച്ച് അന്ധകാരാവൃതമായ കഠിനഭൂമിയിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുന്നു।

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Word by Word

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• संसार: cycle of rebirth
• संसार: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• चक्र: wheel
• चक्र: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• यातना: torment
• यातना: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• स्वरूप: nature / form
• स्वरूप: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• वर्णनम्: description
• वर्णनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); multi-member Tatpuruṣa: ‘description of the nature of the torments of the wheel of saṁsāra’

• ऋषि: sage
• ऋषि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• पुत्रः: the sage’s son
• पुत्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); Ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘son of a sage’

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथम), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• तस्मिन्: in that (place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन), Masculine/Neuter

• क्षिति: earth
• क्षिति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• तलम्: ground / surface
• तलम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa: ‘surface of the earth’

• सर्वम्: all / entire
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies क्षितितलम्

• आयसैः: iron
• आयसैः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); qualifies कण्टकैः

• कण्टकैः: with thorns/spikes
• कण्टकैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• चितम्: filled / heaped
• चितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चि (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त, कर्मणि कृदन्त) ‘cita’ = ‘piled/filled’, Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with क्षितितलम्

• प्रभवन्ति: arise / come forth
• प्रभवन्ति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + भू (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथम), Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• केचित्: some (beings)
• केचित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); indeclinable-like form used for ‘some’

• विषमम्: uneven / difficult
• विषमम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies (place/state) implied with तमसाश्रितम्

• तमसा: by darkness
• तमसा: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• आश्रितम्: resorted to / enveloped by
• आश्रितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त, कर्मणि कृदन्त) ‘āśrita’, Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with विषमम् (object/complement)

Speaker

Ṛṣiputra (explicit)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmology
• Saṁsāra Doctrine

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse introduces a thematic unit on saṁsāra and suffering, using standardized Purāṇic descriptive conventions that aid in mapping doctrinal and narrative developments across manuscripts.

Which geographic location is identified?

No identifiable earthly geography is given; the setting is a conceptual/otherworldly landscape used to represent suffering.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It frames existence within saṁsāra as bound up with suffering, implicitly encouraging ethical restraint as a response to karmic consequence.