Varaha Purana 71.43: Adhyaya 71, Shloka 43

Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account

Devanagari script

अस्याश्च गौणं नामेह नदी गोदावरीति च । गौर्दत्ता वरदानाच्च भवेद् गोदावरी नदी ॥ ७१.४३ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 71.43

Transliteration

asyāś ca gauṇaṃ nāmeha nadī godāvarīti ca | gaurdattā varadānāc ca bhaved godāvarī nadī || 71.43 ||

Translation

Di sini, nama sekunder (lazim) bagi sungai ini ialah ‘Godāvarī’. Kerana ia ‘diberikan oleh lembu’ dan kerana penganugerahan anugerah, sungai ini dikenali sebagai Godāvarī.

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Word by Word

• asyāḥ: of this (river)
• asyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Ṣaṣṭhī-vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• gauṇam: secondary / conventional
• gauṇam: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gauṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka (Neuter), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of nāma

• nāma: name
• nāma: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka (Neuter), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• nadī: river
• nadī: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular)

• godāvarī: Godāvarī
• godāvarī: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: godāvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; proper name in apposition

• iti: thus (called)
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• gauḥ: cow
• gauḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• dattā: was given
• dattā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Kta-participle (past passive participle), Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; predicate with gauḥ

• vara-dānāt: from the granting of a boon
• vara-dānāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka (Neuter), Pañcamī-vibhakti (Ablative/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; cause/source

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• bhavet: would be / becomes
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana (Singular), Parasmaipada

• godāvarī: Godāvarī
• godāvarī: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: godāvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• nadī: river
• nadī: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; apposition

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Sacred Rivers

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic etymology for the river-name Godāvarī, illustrating how sacred geography is explained through naming traditions (nāma-nirukti) within Purāṇic literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

The Godāvarī River (modern: Godavari), a major river of the Deccan plateau in India, frequently treated as a cultural-heritage landscape in Sanskrit sources.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily functions as an explanatory note on nomenclature rather than a direct ethical injunction; indirectly, it frames rivers as culturally significant entities whose names are tied to acts of benefaction (dāna/vara-dāna).