Varaha Purana 75.16: Adhyaya 75, Shloka 16

Description of Jambūdvīpa: its regions, mountains, measurements, and cosmic structure

Devanagari script

भृङ्गपत्रनिभश्चासौ पश्चिमेन यतोऽथ सः । तेनास्य शूद्रता प्रोक्ता मेरोर् नामार्थकर्मणः ॥ ७५.१६ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 75.16

Transliteration

bhṛṅgapatranibhaś cāsau paścimena yato 'tha saḥ | tenāsya śūdratā proktā meror nāmārthakarmaṇaḥ || 75.16 ||

Translation

Dan baginda dikatakan menyerupai daun tumbuhan bhṛṅga; lagi pula, kerana baginda berada di sebelah barat, maka dinyatakan pengelasan baginda sebagai “śūdra”—berdasarkan nama, makna dan fungsi yang dikaitkan dengan Meru.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• bhṛṅga-patra-nibhaḥ: resembling a bhṛṅga-leaf
• bhṛṅga-patra-nibhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक) + nibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (upamā-artha) ‘resembling bhṛṅga-leaf’ (bhṛṅgapatra-sadṛśa)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• asau: that one / he
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

• paścimena: on the western side
• paścimena: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; instrumental of direction ‘on the western side’

• yataḥ: because/wherefrom
• yataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; causal/relative adverb (हेतौ/यत्-प्रत्यय) ‘because/wherefrom’

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; discourse particle (निपात) ‘then/now’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; pronoun ‘he’

• tena: therefore
• tena: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃ/Napuṃ, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; instrumental ‘therefore’

• asya: of him/of this
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃ/Napuṃ, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; genitive ‘of this/of him’

• śūdratā: Śūdra status
• śūdratā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdratā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā, Ekavacana; abstract noun ‘Śūdra-hood’

• proktā: is declared
• proktā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त; √vac ‘to speak’ with pra- → PPP)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; PPP (क्त) used predicatively ‘is said/declared’ agreeing with śūdratā

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; genitive ‘of Meru’

• nāma-artha-karmaṇaḥ: of (its) name, meaning, and function
• nāma-artha-karmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; dvandva (समाहार-द्वन्द्व) ‘of name, meaning, and function’

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmography
• Ancient Geography
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic method of explaining cosmographic features through etymology (nāmārtha) and functional description (karma), illustrating how geography and language were linked in classical Sanskrit textual traditions.

Which geographic location is identified?

Meru is referenced as a central cosmographic mountain in Purāṇic literature; it is primarily a mytho-cosmological axis rather than a securely identifiable modern physical location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive; its philosophical emphasis is on interpretive frameworks (name–meaning–function) used to classify and describe elements of the cosmos.