Varaha Purana 51.9: Adhyaya 51, Shloka 9

Recollection of the Dharaṇī-vrata and the Agastya–Bhadrāśva Dialogue on Liberation

Devanagari script

नाहो न रात्रिर्न दिशोऽदिशश्च न द्यौर्न देवा न दिनं न सूर्यः । तस्मिन् काले पशुपालेति राजा स पालयामास पशूननेकान् ॥ ५१.९ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 51.9

Transliteration

nāho na rātrir na diśo ’diśaś ca na dyaur na devā na dinaṁ na sūryaḥ | tasmin kāle paśupāleti rājā sa pālayāmāsa paśūn anekān || 51.9 ||

Translation

അവിടെ പകലുമില്ല, രാത്രിയുമില്ല; ദിക്കുകളുമില്ല, ഉപദിക്കുകളുമില്ല; സ്വർഗ്ഗമില്ല, ദേവന്മാരുമില്ല; പകലിന്റെ പ്രകാശമില്ല, സൂര്യനുമില്ല. ആ സമയത്ത് ‘പശുപാല’ എന്ന രാജാവ് അനേകം മൃഗക്കൂട്ടങ്ങളെ പരിപാലിച്ചു കാത്തു।

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Word by Word

• na: not

• ahaḥ: day

• rātriḥ: night

• diśaḥ: directions/quarters

• adiśaḥ: intermediate directions

• dyauḥ: heaven/sky

• devāḥ: gods

• dinam: daytime/day

• sūryaḥ: the sun

• tasmin kāle: at that time

• paśupālaḥ: protector of cattle/herds (also a proper name)

• iti: thus/so-called

• rājā: king

• saḥ: he

• pālayāmāsa: protected/guarded (perfect of √pāl)

• paśūn: animals/cattle

• anekān: many

Speaker

Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmology
• Vaishnavism
• Ecological Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic literary motif where ordinary temporal and cosmic markers (day, night, sun, directions) are suspended, functioning as a stylized indicator of primordial or dissolution-like time in Sanskrit cosmological narration.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it describes a cosmological condition (absence of directions and celestial markers) rather than a mapped location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Within the narrative frame, the king ‘Paśupāla’ is characterized by protective care of animals, presenting stewardship and guardianship of living beings as a valued aspect of righteous governance.