Varaha Purana 49.35: Adhyaya 49, Shloka 35

The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit

Pūrva Bhāga · Dialogic Narrative (Agastya–Rāja Saṁvāda)

Devanagari script

इति राजा वचः श्रुत्वा अगस्त्यस्य महात्मनः । अल्पोपदेशराजासौ पप्रच्छ मुनिपुङ्गवम् ॥ ४९.३५ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 49.35

Transliteration

iti rājā vacaḥ śrutvā agastyasya mahātmanaḥ | alpopadeśa-rājāsau papraccha muni-puṅgavam || 49.35 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ଏପରି ମହାତ୍ମା ଅଗସ୍ତ୍ୟଙ୍କ ବଚନ ଶୁଣି ସେ ରାଜା—ଅଳ୍ପ ଉପଦେଶ ପାଇ—ମୁନିଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠଙ୍କୁ ପୁନର୍ବାର ପ୍ରଶ୍ନ କଲା।

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Word by Word

• iti: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; quotative particle
• Role: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (वाक्यार्थ-द्योतक)
• Root: iti (अव्यय)

• rājā: the king
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)

• vacaḥ: speech/words
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of śrutvā
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)

• śrutvā: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त): √śru + ktvā; 'having heard'
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; pūrvakāla)
• Root: √śru (धातु)

• agastyasya: of Agastya
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; genitive (of Agastya)
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of agastyasya
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)

• alpa-upadeśa-rājā: the king of little instruction (poorly instructed king)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (karmadhāraya/tatpuruṣa sense): 'alpaḥ upadeśaḥ yasya' (semantic); Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; epithet of rājā
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक) + rājan (प्रातिपदिक)

• asau: that (king)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun in apposition
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• papraccha: asked
• Type: Verb
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (लिट्; perfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: pra-√prach (धातु)

• muni-puṅgavam: the foremost of sages
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: munīnām puṅgavaḥ); Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of papraccha
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅgava (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• alpopadeśa-rājā = alpa + upadeśa (a+u→o) within compound

Speaker and setting

Shanta rasaSetting: Dialogic setting (royal-sage discourse)

Speaker

Narrator (unspecified); default dialogue frame: Varāha–Pṛthivī

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She listens

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

Implicit: the king seeks fuller instruction beyond the brief teaching—what is the complete dharma/observance being indicated?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Epistemology of dharma (how knowledge is transmitted)

Subjects

Dialogue FormTransmission of KnowledgeSage-King DiscourseEthics

Core idea

Brief instruction awakens deeper inquiry; dharma is clarified through respectful questioning of realized sages.

In practice

When guidance is partial, ask precise follow-up questions; approach teachers with humility and attentiveness.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Philology
• Dialogic Instruction

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a common Purāṇic pedagogical structure: a royal listener receives a teaching from a sage and then continues the inquiry, reflecting the text’s dialogic method of transmitting dharma, cosmology, and cultural knowledge.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative hinge introducing further questions after Agastya’s speech.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds an epistemic ethic: attentive listening (śrutvā) followed by respectful questioning (papraccha) as the appropriate method for clarifying and extending instruction.