Varaha Purana 89.32: Adhyaya 89, Shloka 32

The Hierarchy of the Trimūrti and the Manifestation of the Goddess Trikalā

Pūrva Bhāga · Brahmā’s Boon-Offering Dialogue

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । किं तपः क्रियते भद्रे कार्यमावेक्ष्य शोभते । तुष्टोऽस्मि ते विशालाक्षि वरं किं ते ददाम्यहम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 89.32

Transliteration

brahmovāca | kiṁ tapaḥ kriyate bhadre kāryam āvekṣya śobhate | tuṣṭo 'smi te viśālākṣi varaṁ kiṁ te dadāmy aham ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Brahmā berkata: ‘Wahai yang mulia, untuk tujuan apakah tapa ini dilakukan? Apabila maksudnya diperhatikan, usaha ini memang wajar dan indah. Wahai yang bermata luas, aku berkenan kepadamu—apakah anugerah yang engkau kehendaki daripadaku?’

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन (speaker tag)
• Role: कर्ता (speaker)
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट्, परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: क्रिया
• Root: वच् (धातु)

• किम्: what
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक
• Role: कर्म (object of क्रियते)
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• तपः: austerity
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (object; apposition)
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• क्रियते: is being done
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)
• Role: क्रिया
• Root: कृ (धातु)

• भद्रे: O auspicious lady
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन
• Role: सम्बोधन
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• कार्यम्: purpose / task
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (object of आवेक्ष्य)
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• आवेक्ष्य: having considered
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): 'having considered/looking at'
• Role: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया
• Root: अव + ईक्ष् (धातु)

• शोभते: is fitting / shines
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: क्रिया
• Root: शुभ् (धातु)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-प्राय (past participial adjective)
• Role: विशेषण (of अहम्)
• Root: तुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मि: I am
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन
• Role: क्रिया
• Root: अस् (धातु)

• ते: for you / to you
• Type: Noun
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th) एकवचन (enclitic)
• Role: सम्प्रदान (recipient)
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• विशालाक्षि: O wide-eyed one
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (विशाले अक्षिणी यस्याः सा)
• Role: सम्बोधन
• Root: विशाल + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)

• वरम्: boon
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (object of ददामि)
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)

• किम्: what
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक
• Role: कर्म (interrogative object)
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ते: to you
• Type: Noun
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन (enclitic)
• Role: सम्प्रदान
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ददामि: I give
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: क्रिया
• Root: दा (धातु)

• अहम्: I
• Type: Noun
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: कर्ता
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• ब्रह्मोवाच = ब्रह्मा + उवाच
• तुष्टोऽस्मि = तुष्टः + अस्मि
• ददाम्यहम् = ददामि + अहम्

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Hermitage/austerity ground

Speaker

Brahmā

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

What she asks

What is the purpose (kārya) of your tapas, and what boon do you seek?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Teleology of practice

Subjects

EthicsCosmology

Core idea

Spiritual discipline is validated by intentionality (kārya) and right orientation; divine grace responds to coherent striving.

In practice

Before undertaking vows/austerities, articulate the aim, ensure it is dharmic, and pursue it steadily—then ask for what supports that aim.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Dialogue
• Boon Motif
• Purāṇic Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It uses a standard Sanskrit narrative convention—the boon-offer (vara)—which structures many Purāṇic episodes and helps encode ethical causality (effort leading to reward).

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is named within the direct speech; context places the exchange at/near Śvetaparvata.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse explicitly endorses intentionality: practices like tapas are portrayed as ‘fitting’ when aligned with a considered purpose (kārya).