Varaha Purana 4.23: Adhyaya 4, Shloka 23

On Nārāyaṇa’s Ten Avatāras and Eightfold Manifestations, and the Account of King Aśvaśirā

Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra and Divine Epiphany (Narrative Frame)

Devanagari script

ततो हाहाकृतं त्वासीत्तत्क्षणाद्राजमण्डलम् । दृष्ट्वा नारायणं देवं गरुडस्थं सनातनम् ॥ ४.२३ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 4.23

Transliteration

tato hāhākṛtaṃ tv āsīt tatkṣaṇād rājamaṇḍalam | dṛṣṭvā nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ garuḍasthaṃ sanātanam || 4.23 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

അന്നേ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ രാജമണ്ഡലമൊട്ടാകെ ഹാഹാകാരം ഉയർന്നു; ഗരുഡാരൂഢനായ സനാതനദേവൻ നാരായണനെ അവർ ദർശിച്ചു.

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Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘then/thereupon’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)

• hāhā-kṛtam: a ‘hā hā’ cry / lamentation
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) denoting sound/cry; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative 1st (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ‘a cry of “hā hā”’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) (impersonal subject)
• Root: hāhā (अव्यय/उद्गार) + kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त)

• tu: indeed / however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) contrast/emphasis
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• āsīt: was
• Type: Verb
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ‘was’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: as (धातु)

• tat-kṣaṇāt: from that instant
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Ablative 5th (पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); ‘from that instant’
• Role: Apādāna (अपादान) / Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• rāja-maṇḍalam: the royal assembly
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘royal circle/assembly’; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative 1st (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) / Karta (contextual: where the cry occurred)
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kṛdanta; absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त) ‘having seen’
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)

• nārāyaṇam: Nārāyaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative 2nd (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• devam: the god
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; apposition to nārāyaṇam
• Role: Karma (कर्म) (appositional)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• garuḍa-stham: seated on Garuḍa
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘situated on Garuḍa’; Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; qualifies nārāyaṇam/devam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)

• sanātanam: eternal
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; qualifies nārāyaṇam/devam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• tv āsīt → tu āsīt
• tatkṣaṇād rājamaṇḍalam → tat-kṣaṇāt rāja-maṇḍalam
• garuḍasthaṃ → garuḍa-stham

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Bhayanaka rasaSetting: Royal assembly

Speaker

Narrator

The teaching

Path

Theology

Subjects

CosmologyKingship and PolityTheophany (Divine Appearance)Cultural Heritage Narrative

Core idea

Divine presence can erupt into ordinary social space, revealing the contingency of worldly power before the eternal Lord.

In practice

Cultivate reverence and steadiness when confronted with the unexpected; interpret fear as a cue to re-center on dharma and devotion.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative device: a theophany (divine manifestation) that interrupts royal or public space, reflecting how Purāṇas integrate political settings (rāja-maṇḍala) with cosmological and devotional imagery.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it is framed as occurring within a rāja-maṇḍala (royal court/realm), a sociopolitical setting rather than a mapped pilgrimage location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, the verse foregrounds humility and attentiveness in governance and public life: worldly authority (the royal circle) is shown reacting to a higher, transcendent order represented by the appearance of Nārāyaṇa.