Varaha Purana 23.6: Adhyaya 23, Shloka 6

The Birth of Gaṇapati, the Emergence of the Vināyakas, and the Significance of the Fourth Lunar Day

Pūrva Bhāga · Kailāsa–Rudra-saṃvāda (Śaiva sacred geography within Purāṇic narrative)

Devanagari script

ते तत्र रुद्रमागम्य कैलासनिलयं गुरुम् । ऊचुः सविनयं सर्वे प्रणिपातपुरःसरम् ॥ २३.६ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 23.6

Transliteration

te tatra rudram āgamya kailāsanilayaṃ gurum | ūcuḥ savinayaṃ sarve praṇipātapuraḥsaram || 23.6 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Tam, po podejściu do Rudry, czcigodnego nauczyciela, który przebywa na Kailāsie, wszyscy przemówili z pokorą, poprzedzając swe słowa aktem pokłonu.”

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Word by Word

• te: they
• Type: Noun
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• tatra: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)

• rudram: Rudra (Śiva)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)

• āgamya: having approached
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kṛdanta; Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having come/approached’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: ā√gam (धातु)

• kailāsa-nilayam: dwelling in Kailāsa / whose abode is Kailāsa
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘Kailāsa’s abode’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kailāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + nilaya (प्रातिपदिक)

• gurum: the venerable one / lord
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)

• ūcuḥ: they said
• Type: Verb
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √vac (धातु)

• sa-vinayam: humbly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyayībhāva: ‘with humility’; functions adverbially (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + vinaya (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarve: all (of them)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)

• praṇipāta-puraḥsaram: preceded by prostration
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyayībhāva: ‘with prostration in front/preceding’; adverbial usage (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: praṇipāta (प्रातिपदिक) + puraḥsara (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• rudram āgamya: sandhi resolved from rudramāgamya
• praṇipātapuraḥsaram treated as avyayībhāva adverbial compound
• sa-vinayam treated as avyayībhāva (‘with vinaya’)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Bhakti rasaSetting: Sacred mountain abode

Speaker

Narrator

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Śaraṇāgati and guru-nīti

Subjects

Sacred GeographyDialogue FramingEthics (humility and respectful approach)

Core idea

Knowledge and aid are accessed through humility; praṇipāta is an inner disposition expressed outwardly.

In practice

In study, ritual, and conflict-resolution, begin with respectful salutation, soften speech, and present questions after establishing reverence.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Intertext
• Ancient Himalayan Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative protocol: approaching an authoritative figure (here Rudra at Kailāsa) with formal respect (praṇipāta) before initiating discourse, reflecting courtly and scholastic etiquette in Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

Kailāsa (Mount Kailāsa), a major Himalayan sacred-geographic toponym in South Asian textual traditions, widely associated in scholarship with the Kailāsa region in the Transhimalaya (present-day Tibet Autonomous Region).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds vinaya (humility) and respectful conduct—approaching a teacher/elder with deference and beginning speech only after an act of obeisance.