Varaha Purana 31.4: Adhyaya 31, Shloka 4

The Manifestation of Viṣṇu’s Form for Cosmic Governance

the Vaiṣṇava Creation Narrative

Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra / Sṛṣṭi-smṛti (Cosmogonic Narrative Frame)

Devanagari script

एवं चिन्तयतस्तस्य सत्याभिध्यायिनो नृप । प्राक्सृष्टिजातं राजन् वै मूर्त्तिमत् तत्पुरो बभौ ॥ ३१.४ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 31.4

Transliteration

evaṃ cintayatas tasya satyābhidhyāyino nṛpa | prāksṛṣṭijātaṃ rājan vai mūrttimat tatpuro babhau || 31.4 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Tatkala baginda merenung demikian, wahai raja, kerana niat (abhidhyāya) yang benar itu tidak pernah meleset, maka tampak di hadapannya sesungguhnya suatu rupa berjasad, berasal daripada ciptaan purba.

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Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)

• चिन्तयतः: of (him) thinking/pondering
• Type: Verb
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); षष्ठी एकवचन (Genitive singular) — ‘of (him) who is thinking’
• Role: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (singular)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सत्य-अभिध्यायिनः: of the truth-meditating (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/विशेषणभावः: ‘सत्यं अभिध्यायति’); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — ‘of the truth-meditating (one)’
• Role: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier to ‘तस्य’)
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिध्यायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन
• Role: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्राक्-सृष्टि-जातम्: born from the prior creation
• Type: Adjective
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘(something) born/produced from the prior creation’
• Role: कर्ता (Subject complement to ‘बभौ’)
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय) + सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन
• Role: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक निपात (emphatic particle)
• Role: निपात (Particle)
• Root: वै (अव्यय)

• मूर्त्तिमत्: embodied, having form
• Type: Adjective
• Form: मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘having form’
• Role: विशेषण (Qualifier to implied subject)
• Root: मूर्त्तिमत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्-पुरः: before him, in his presence
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (locative sense) — ‘in front of him’
• Role: अधिकरण (Locative/स्थानाधिकरण)
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + पुरस्/पुरः (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)

• बभौ: appeared, shone forth
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: क्रिया (Verb)
• Root: भा (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• सत्याभिध्यायिनो = सत्य-अभिध्यायिनः
• प्राक्सृष्टिजातं = प्राक्-सृष्टि-जातम्
• तत्पुरो = तत्-पुरः (अव्ययीभाव)

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Subjects

CosmologyMythic NarrativeOntology of FormKingship Discourse

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: an efficacious thought or intention (abhidhyāya) precipitates a tangible manifestation, reflecting broader South Asian cosmological storytelling where mental resolve and cosmic order are closely linked.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse; the focus is on a cosmogonic manifestation appearing before the addressed figure.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys a philosophical principle rather than a direct ethic: disciplined reflection and truthful, effective resolve are portrayed as causally potent within the narrative world.