Varaha Purana 136.16: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 16

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Uttara Bhāga · Varāha’s explanatory narrative: ignorance of practitioners and difficult actions

Devanagari script

अद्यापि ते न जानन्ति ह्यनघे संहितव्रताः ॥ कृत्वा सुदुष्करं कर्म सर्वभूतपतिं हरिम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 136.16

Transliteration

adyāpi te na jānanti hy anaghe saṃhitavratāḥ || kṛtvā suduṣkaraṃ karma sarvabhūtapatiṃ harim ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Wahai yang tidak bercela, hingga kini para pemegang nazar yang terkawal masih belum memahami—sesudah melakukan perbuatan yang amat sukar—tentang Hari, Tuhan segala makhluk.

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Word by Word

• अद्यापि: even today / still
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय + निपात (adverb ‘even today/still’)
• Role: Kālādhi karaṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)

• ते: they / those (you-pl.)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुं/स्त्री, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)
• Role: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Root: न (अव्यय)

• जानन्ति: know
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)

• हि: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: हि (अव्यय)

• अनघे: O sinless one
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: अनघा (प्रातिपदिक)

• संहितव्रताः: those of disciplined vows
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (संहितं व्रतं येषाम्/संहितव्रताः = ‘those whose vows are regulated/observed’)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: संहित+व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)

• कृत्वा: having done
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: कृ (धातु)

• सुदुष्करम्: very difficult
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कर्म’)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: सु+दुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)

• कर्म: deed
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• सर्वभूतपतिम्: lord of all beings
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां भूतानां पतिः)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: सर्व+भूत+पति (प्रातिपदिक)

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘विष्णु’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• अद्यापि = अद्य + अपि
• ह्यनघे = हि + अनघे (यणादेश/संधि: इ + अ → य)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious; receptive to a critique of ascetic self-confidence and incomplete understanding.

What she asks

Why do even disciplined vow-keepers fail to understand Hari, the Lord of all beings, even after undertaking extremely difficult acts?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Bhakti-theology / epistemology

Subjects

EthicsAscetic DisciplineNarrative Theology (as literary frame)

Core idea

Austerity and ‘saṃhita-vrata’ discipline alone do not guarantee true knowledge of Hari; divine reality exceeds mere human effort.

In practice

Cultivate humility and devotion alongside discipline; interpret ‘difficult acts’ as insufficient without right understanding and grace-oriented orientation.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Continues didactic address to Bhū-devī (‘anaghe’), framing a theological-ethical point about misunderstanding Hari despite severe austerity/effort.

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Ethics
• Sanskrit Syntax (ellipsis)
• Vaiṣṇava Narrative Frame
• Textual Criticism (context dependence)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic pedagogy: disciplined practitioners are depicted as still lacking insight, underscoring the text’s role as an explanatory authority within its narrative world.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Discipline alone is presented as insufficient without understanding; ethical and spiritual action requires discernment (jñāna) in addition to practice (vrata/karma).