Varaha Purana 97.38: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 38

The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow

Devanagari script

यद्व्रतं नग्नकपालं यद्बाब्रव्यं त्वया कृतम् ॥ यत्कृतं शुद्धशैवं च तत्तन्नाम्ना भविष्यति

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 97.38

Transliteration

yadvrataṃ nagnakāpālaṃ yadbābhravyaṃ tvayā kṛtam || yatkṛtaṃ śuddhaśaivaṃ ca tattannāmnā bhaviṣyati

Translation

‘നഗ്നകപാല’ എന്ന വ്രതവും, നീ ആചരിച്ച ‘ബാബ്രവ്യ’യും, കൂടാതെ ‘ശുദ്ധശൈവ’ ആചാരവും—ഇവയെല്ലാം തത്തത്ത പേരുകളാൽ തന്നെ പ്രസിദ്ധമാകും.

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Word by Word

• yat-vratam: whatever vow (which vow)
• yat-vratam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (संबन्ध): ‘यत् (तत्) व्रतम्’

• nagna-kapālam: (called) naked-skull
• nagna-kapālam: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagna + kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; predicate adjective to yat-vratam

• yat-bābhravyam: whatever is (called) Bābhravya
• yat-bābhravyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad + bābhravya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; ‘that which is Bābhravya’

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• kṛtam: done/made
• kṛtam: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative, Singular; agrees with implied ‘vratam’/‘tat’

• yat-kṛtam: whatever is done
• yat-kṛtam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad + kṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; relative ‘that which is done’

• śuddha-śaivam: purely Śaiva
• śuddha-śaivam: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha + śaiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारय: शुद्धं शैवम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• tat-tat-nāmnā: by that respective name
• tat-tat-nāmnā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + tad + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; ‘by that-that name’ (i.e., by the respective name)

• bhaviṣyati: will be/will become
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (लुट्), Prathama-puruṣa, Singular

Speaker

Brahmā

Tags

• Vrata Nomenclature
• Śaiva Observance Categories
• Purāṇic Classification
• Textual Standardization

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows a classificatory impulse: practices are stabilized through naming, enabling later communities to reference, transmit, and institutionalize observances.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified; the verse concerns terminological standardization of observances.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The passage emphasizes ordered practice and clear categorization—disciplines are presented as identifiable, communicable frameworks rather than private or ambiguous acts.