Varaha Purana 4.23: Adhyaya 4, Shloka 23

On Nārāyaṇa’s Ten Avatāras and Eightfold Manifestations, and the Account of King Aśvaśirā

Devanagari script

ततो हाहाकृतं त्वासीत्तत्क्षणाद्राजमण्डलम् । दृष्ट्वा नारायणं देवं गरुडस्थं सनातनम् ॥ ४.२३ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 4.23

Transliteration

tato hāhākṛtaṃ tv āsīt tatkṣaṇād rājamaṇḍalam | dṛṣṭvā nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ garuḍasthaṃ sanātanam || 4.23 ||

Translation

Kemudian, pada saat itu juga, lingkungan diraja (majlis dan wilayah raja) bergema dengan jeritan cemas; kerana mereka melihat Nārāyaṇa, dewa yang kekal, bersemayam di atas Garuḍa.

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Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘then/thereupon’

• hāhā-kṛtam: a ‘hā hā’ cry / lamentation
• hāhā-kṛtam: Karta (कर्ता) (impersonal subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāhā (अव्यय/उद्गार) + kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) denoting sound/cry; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative 1st (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ‘a cry of “hā hā”’

• tu: indeed / however
• tu: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) contrast/emphasis

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ‘was’

• tat-kṣaṇāt: from that instant
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apādāna (अपादान) / Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Ablative 5th (पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); ‘from that instant’

• rāja-maṇḍalam: the royal assembly
• rāja-maṇḍalam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) / Karta (contextual: where the cry occurred)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘royal circle/assembly’; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative 1st (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta; absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त) ‘having seen’

• nārāyaṇam: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative 2nd (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (कर्म) (appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; apposition to nārāyaṇam

• garuḍa-stham: seated on Garuḍa
• garuḍa-stham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘situated on Garuḍa’; Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; qualifies nārāyaṇam/devam

• sanātanam: eternal
• sanātanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative 2nd, Singular; qualifies nārāyaṇam/devam

Speaker

Narrator (default frame: Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue context; speaker not explicit in this fragment)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative device: a theophany (divine manifestation) that interrupts royal or public space, reflecting how Purāṇas integrate political settings (rāja-maṇḍala) with cosmological and devotional imagery.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it is framed as occurring within a rāja-maṇḍala (royal court/realm), a sociopolitical setting rather than a mapped pilgrimage location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, the verse foregrounds humility and attentiveness in governance and public life: worldly authority (the royal circle) is shown reacting to a higher, transcendent order represented by the appearance of Nārāyaṇa.