Varaha Purana 49.5: Adhyaya 49, Shloka 5

The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit

Pūrva Bhāga · Sacred Geography & Eponymous Regions (Varṣa-Nomenclature)

Devanagari script

आसीत्कृतयुगे राजा भद्राश्वो नाम वीर्यवान् । यस्य नाम्नाऽभवद्वर्षं भद्राश्वं नाम नामतः ॥ ४९.५ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 49.5

Transliteration

āsīt kṛtayuge rājā bhadrāśvo nāma vīryavān | yasya nāmnā ’bhavad varṣaṃ bhadrāśvaṃ nāma nāmataḥ || 49.5 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

കൃതയുഗത്തിൽ ഭദ്രാശ്വൻ എന്ന പേരുള്ള വീര്യവാൻ രാജാവ് ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അവന്റെ നാമം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഒരു വർഷം (പ്രദേശം) ‘ഭദ്രാശ്വം’ എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമായി।

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Word by Word

• āsīt: there was
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/past imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: √as (धातु)

• kṛtayuge: in the Krita Yuga
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—कृतं युगम् (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष)
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: kṛtayuga (प्रातिपदिक)

• rājā: a king
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhadrāśvaḥ: Bhadrashva
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—भद्रः अश्वः (कर्मधारय)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: bhadrāśva (प्रातिपदिक)

• nāma: named
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक निपात (by name)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)

• vīryavān: valiant/powerful
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (विशेषण), एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: vīryavat (प्रातिपदिक)

• yasya: whose
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• nāmnā: by (his) name
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)

• abhavat: became/was
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/past imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: √bhū (धातु)

• varṣam: a region/country
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhadrāśvam: Bhadrashva (named)
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (समज्ञा/नाम), एकवचन; समासः—भद्रः अश्वः (कर्मधारय)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: bhadrāśva (प्रातिपदिक)

• nāma: named
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक निपात
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)

• nāmataḥ: by name
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) = ‘by name/in name’
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Root: nāmatas (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• nāmnā ’bhavat → nāmnā abhavat (avagraha indicates initial a after vowel)
• āsīt kṛtayuge → āsīt-kṛtayuge (external sandhi at pad boundary)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Varṣa (mythic-geographic division)

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Itihāsa-purāṇic historiography

Subjects

GeographyCultural HeritagePuranic Historiography

Core idea

Names preserve dharma: a virtuous ruler’s fame can imprint itself onto the land, making geography a carrier of moral history.

In practice

Treat places and their names as prompts for remembering exemplary conduct and lineage-based responsibility.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ancient Geography
• Onomastics (Place-name Etymology)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic historiographic motif in which regions (varṣas) are explained through eponymous association with notable rulers, offering evidence for ancient Indian place-name theory and cultural memory.

Which geographic location is identified?

A varṣa (region) named Bhadrāśva is identified; in Purāṇic usage, such names often denote mytho-geographic divisions rather than a single securely mappable modern location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No direct ethical injunction is stated; the verse functions primarily as a cultural-geographic notice explaining how a territory’s designation is linked to a remembered ruler.