Varaha Purana 23.8: Adhyaya 23, Shloka 8

The Birth of Gaṇapati, the Emergence of the Vināyakas, and the Significance of the Fourth Lunar Day

Pūrva Bhāga · Śaiva-Pārvatī Narrative (Deva–Bhava Dialogue Context)

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तरस् तदा देवैर् भवः परमया मुदा । उमां निरीक्षयामास चक्षुषाऽनिमिषेण ह ॥ २३.८ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 23.8

Transliteration

evamuktaras tadā devair bhavaḥ paramayā mudā | umāṁ nirīkṣayāmāsa cakṣuṣā’nimiṣeṇa ha || 23.8 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Demikianlah ketika para dewa berkata, Bhava (Śiva) pun bersukacita setinggi-tingginya, lalu memandang Umā dengan mata yang tidak berkedip.

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Word by Word

• evam: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; manner adverb (प्रकारवाचक)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: evam (अव्यय)

• uktarāṭ: the addressed lord (Śiva)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (‘king/lord who is spoken to/ addressed’ or ‘having been addressed’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; from √vac) + rāṭ (प्रातिपदिक)

• tadā: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; time adverb (कालवाचक)
• Role: Kāla (काल)
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhavaḥ: Bhava (Śiva)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)

• paramayā: with supreme
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with mudā
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)

• mudā: joy
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: mudā (प्रातिपदिक)

• umām: Umā
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)

• nirīkṣayāmāsa: looked at
• Type: Verb
• Form: Periphrastic perfect (लिट्-परस्मैपद/परिप्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: nir√īkṣ (धातु)

• cakṣuṣā: with (his) eye
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: cakṣus (प्रातिपदिक)

• animiṣeṇa: unblinking
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially ‘without blinking’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: animiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• ha: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात), emphasis/indeed
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)
• Root: ha (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• evamuktaras read as evam + uktarāṭ (common epic form)
• devair = devaiḥ (visarga sandhi)
• cakṣuṣā’nimiṣeṇa = cakṣuṣā + animiṣeṇa

Speaker and setting

Shringara and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Celestial assembly

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Theology of śakti

Subjects

Mythic NarrativeDivine Dialogue ContextEmotive Description

Core idea

Creative/ordering action is mediated through Śiva’s relation to Umā (Śakti), here signaled by the ‘unblinking gaze’ and joy.

In practice

Recognize that effective action arises when will (īśvara) aligns with insight/power (śakti)—act after inner assent, not agitation.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Śaiva Traditions (contextual)
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative style where divine figures are described through concise emotional and visual motifs (e.g., unblinking gaze) to signal heightened attention and narrative transition, useful for studying classical Sanskrit poetics within Purāṇic transmission.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative moment centered on Bhava (Śiva) and Umā.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No direct ethical injunction is stated; the verse primarily conveys attentive regard and affect (joy and focused gaze), which can be read as a narrative marker of recognition and relational attentiveness rather than a prescriptive teaching.