Varaha Purana 24.21: Adhyaya 24, Shloka 21

The Birth of the Nāgas, Brahmā’s Curse, and the Pañcamī Observance

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । यदि नाम मया सृष्टा भवन्तः कुटिलाशयाः । ततः किं मनुजान् नित्यं भक्षयध्वं गतव्यथाः ॥ २४.२१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 24.21

Transliteration

brahmovāca | yadi nāma mayā sṛṣṭā bhavantaḥ kuṭilāśayāḥ | tataḥ kiṃ manujān nityaṃ bhakṣayadhvaṃ gatavyathāḥ || 24.21 ||

Translation

Brahmā bersabda: “Sekalipun benar bahawa kamu diciptakan olehku dengan niat yang berliku, apakah akibatnya daripada itu? Mengapa kamu terus-menerus memakan manusia, seolah-olah tiada derita dan tiada akibat?”

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Word by Word

• brahmā-uvāca: Brahmā said

• yadi: if

• nāma: indeed/for argument’s sake

• mayā: by me

• sṛṣṭāḥ: created

• bhavantaḥ: you (plural)

• kuṭila-āśayāḥ: having crooked intentions/devious dispositions

• tataḥ: then/from that

• kim: what?

• manujān: human beings

• nityam: always/constantly

• bhakṣayadhvam: you devour (2nd pl. middle/imperative-like usage)

• gata-vyathāḥ: having gone beyond pain/distress

• (implied) kutaḥ/kimartham: why/for what reason (sense in context).

Speaker

Brahmā

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dialogue
• Dharma and Ethics
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic literary strategy: a creator-figure (here, Brahmā) addresses destructive beings to frame ethical responsibility within a cosmological narrative, emphasizing that origin does not justify ongoing harm.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it is a moral-dialogic statement rather than a passage of sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse questions the justification of continual violence against humans and implies moral accountability: even if one’s nature or origin is flawed, that does not legitimize persistent harmful action.