Varaha Purana 33.12: Adhyaya 33, Shloka 12

The Origin of Rudra, the Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, and the Establishment of Paśupati

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological Dialogue (Deva–Pitāmaha Encounter)

Devanagari script

आगम्य तत्रैव पितामहस्तु भवम् प्रतीतः सम्परिष्वज्य देवान् । भक्त्योपेतान् वीक्षयद् देवदेवान् विज्ञानमन्तः कुरु वीरबाहो ॥ ३३.१२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 33.12

Transliteration

āgamya tatraiva pitāmahastu bhavaṃ pratītaḥ saṃpariṣvajya devān | bhaktyopetān vīkṣayad devadevān vijñānam antaḥ kuru vīrabāho || 33.12 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Setibanya di sana, Sang Datuk (Brahmā), setelah mengenali Bhava (Śiva), memeluk para dewa. Melihat Tuhan para dewa bersama mereka yang dipenuhi bhakti, baginda bersabda: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, tegakkanlah dalam dirimu kebijaksanaan batin (pengetahuan sejati).”

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Word by Word

• āgamya: having come
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), avyaya-kṛdanta; ‘having come’
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु)

• tatra: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (locative adverb)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)

• eva: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha (particle)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• pitāmahaḥ: Grandfather (Brahmā)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: but, however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Virodha/viśeṣa-nipāta (contrastive particle)
• Role: Sambandha (particle)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• bhavam: Bhava (Śiva)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)

• pratītaḥ: having approached, having arrived
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘having approached/come near’ (arrived)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; participle agreeing with pitāmahaḥ)
• Root: prati-√i (धातु)

• saṃpariṣvajya: having embraced
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), avyaya-kṛdanta; ‘having embraced’
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: saṃ-pari-√svaj (धातु)

• devān: the gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (instrumental, 3rd), Ekavacana
• Role: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument, manner)
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)

• upetān: endowed (with)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; kta-participle used adjectivally; ‘endowed/possessed’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa of devān (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Root: upeta (कृदन्त; upa-√i)

• vīkṣayat: looked at, beheld
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (imperfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Action)
• Root: vi-√īkṣ (धातु)

• deva-devān: the gods of gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘devānāṃ devāḥ’ (gods of gods)
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)

• vijñānam: knowledge, understanding
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)

• antaḥ: within
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (adverb: ‘within/inside’)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Root: antaḥ (अव्यय)

• kuru: do, place, make
• Type: Verb
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada
• Role: Prayojaka-kriyā (आज्ञार्थ-क्रिया)
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)

• vīra-bāho: O strong-armed hero
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti (vocative), Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi: ‘vīrau bāhū yasya’ (he whose arms are heroic)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• tatraiva = tatra + eva
• pitāmahastu = pitāmahaḥ + tu
• bhaktyopetān = bhaktyā + upetān
• vijñānamantaḥ = vijñānam + antaḥ
• vīrabāho = vīra-bāho (vocative)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Celestial court

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ethics of discernment (viveka) within cosmology

Subjects

CosmologyEthicsPhilosophical Instruction

Core idea

True knowledge as the inner regulator that prevents wrath and restores harmony.

In practice

Before asserting entitlement or reacting to perceived disrespect, establish inner clarity (viveka) through reflection, śāstra, and devotion.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Hindu Cosmology
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative style in which major cosmological figures (Brahmā, Śiva, and the devas) are presented in interpersonal scenes to frame ethical and philosophical instruction, here emphasizing inner discernment (vijñāna).

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific toponym is given in this verse; “tatraiva” indicates continuity with a location named in the surrounding passages.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the cultivation of inner knowledge/discernment (vijñāna) as a guiding principle, presented as an internal discipline rather than an external ritual requirement.