Varaha Purana 170.44: Adhyaya 170, Shloka 44

The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship

including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics

Uttara Bhāga · Dharma-śāstra Narratives (Inquiry and Discovery: Caged Parrot)

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वापि शब्दप्रभवं किमेतदिति निश्चयम् ॥ करिष्यंस्तत्र चैका‌न्ते दृष्टः पञ्जरगः शुकः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 170.44

Transliteration

śrutvāpi śabdaprabhavaṁ kim etad iti niścayam || kariṣyaṁs tatra caikānte dṛṣṭaḥ pañjaragaḥ śukaḥ

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Walaupun telah mendengar punca bunyi itu, dia menetapkan: “Apakah ini?” Lalu ketika menyiasat di tempat yang sunyi, dia melihat seekor burung nuri yang dikurung dalam sangkar.

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Word by Word

• śrutvā: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), from √śru ‘to hear’; indeclinable verbal form (avyaya-kriyāviśeṣaṇa)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: śru (धातु)

• api: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle (निपात), concessive ‘even/also’
• Role: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Root: api (अव्यय)

• śabda-prabhavam: arising from sound
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): ‘śabdasya prabhavaḥ’ → ‘arising from sound’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhava (प्रातिपदिक)

• kim: what?
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; interrogative pronoun
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)

• etat: this
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: etat (प्रातिपदिक)

• iti: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात) marking reported thought/speech
• Role: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (वाक्यार्थद्योतक)
• Root: iti (अव्यय)

• niścayam: a decision/ascertainment
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)

• kariṣyan: intending to do
• Type: Verb
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ/वर्तमान-कृदन्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; from √kṛ ‘to do’; ‘intending/being about to do’ (contextual futurity)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: kṛ (धातु)

• tatra: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Role: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• ekānte: in a secluded place
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; ‘in solitude/aside’
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: ekānta (प्रातिपदिक)

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/भूतकर्मणि), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; from √dṛś ‘to see’
• Role: Karmaṇi-prayoga predicate (कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय)
• Root: dṛś (धातu)

• pañjaragaḥ: cage-dwelling / caged
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुष (सप्तमी/षष्ठी-भाव): ‘pañjare gaḥ’ = ‘going/being in a cage’ → ‘caged’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: pañjara (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)

• śukaḥ: parrot
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: śuka (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• śrutvā+api→śrutvāpi
• kim+etat+iti→kim etad iti (etad→etad before vowel)
• ca+ekānte→caikānte
• śabda-prabhavam treated as tatpuruṣa compound

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Karuna rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

What she asks

What is the source/meaning of these sounds and greetings?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Discernment and inquiry

Subjects

EthicsHeritage Sites

Core idea

Śabda-prabhava-vicāra: do not accept appearances; investigate the source of speech/sound—truth may be concealed in unexpected vessels.

In practice

Practice careful inquiry before judgment; attend to marginalized/contained voices (symbolized by the caged bird) and seek the cause behind social signals.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Narrative Motif
• Animal Imagery

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows a common narrative mechanism: curiosity prompted by sound leading to a speaking animal motif (here, a parrot), frequently used to introduce ethical instruction.

Which geographic location is identified?

Only a general ‘secluded spot’ (ekānta) is mentioned; no identifiable location name occurs.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse models attentive inquiry and verification—seeking the cause behind what is heard.