Varaha Purana 138.28: Adhyaya 138, Shloka 28

The Episode of the Khañjarīṭa Bird

and the Saukarava Tīrtha’s Merit

Devanagari script

अष्टौ सम्पूर्णधुर्याणां हलानां तावतां शतम् ॥ वैश्यकर्म समादाय किं पुनः प्राप्तुमिच्छसि ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 138.28

Transliteration

aṣṭau sampūrṇa-dhuryāṇāṁ halānāṁ tāvatāṁ śatam || vaiśya-karma samādāya kiṁ punaḥ prāptum icchasi ||

Translation

Lapan pasukan bajak yang lengkap dipasangkan, dan seratus bajak sejenis itu—setelah mengambil tugas yang layak bagi seorang Vaiśya, apakah lagi yang engkau ingin peroleh?

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Word by Word

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (अष्टन्/अष्ट प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; numeral used adjectivally

• sampūrṇa-dhuryāṇām: of fully-yoked/complete (ones)
• sampūrṇa-dhuryāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sampūrṇa + dhurya (सम्पूर्ण + धुर्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; qualifies halānām

• halānām: of ploughs
• halānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hala (हल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• tāvatām: of that many
• tāvatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (तावत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; ‘of so many’ (correlative)

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (शत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; here as predicate/measure

• vaiśya-karma: Vaiśya-duty/occupation
• vaiśya-karma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya + karma (वैश्य + कर्म प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• samādāya: having undertaken
• samādāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√dā (सम्-आ-दा धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; ल्यप्), ‘having undertaken/taken up’

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; interrogative

• punaḥ: again/then
• punaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• prāptum: to obtain
• prāptum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (प्र-आप् धातु)
• Form: Tumun-anta infinitive (तुमुन्), ‘to obtain/attain’

• icchasi: you desire
• icchasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (इष् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Eka-vacana (singular)

Speaker

Pṛthivī (default dialogue frame)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Economic History
• Agrarian Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It provides concrete agrarian imagery—ploughs and draught teams—useful for contextualizing material culture and occupational ideals in Sanskrit narrative sources.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Questioning excess desire by highlighting sufficiency of resources and the defined scope of one’s chosen work.