Varaha Purana 39.27: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 27

Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance

Pūrva Bhāga · Ācāra (Ritual Hygiene and Daily Conduct)

Devanagari script

कृत्वाऽष्टाङ्गुलमात्रं तु क्षीरवृक्षसमुद्भवम् । भक्षयेद् दन्तकाष्ठं तु तत आचम्य यत्नतः ॥ ३९.२७ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 39.27

Transliteration

kṛtvā ’ṣṭāṅgulamātraṃ tu kṣīravṛkṣasamudbhavam | bhakṣayed dantakāṣṭhaṃ tu tata ācamya yatnataḥ || 39.27 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Przygotowawszy patyczek do zębów o długości ośmiu szerokości palca, pozyskany z drzewa wydzielającego mleczny sok, należy go żuć; potem należy starannie wykonać âcamanę, popijając wodę oczyszczającą.

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Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having made
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having made/prepared’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)

• aṣṭa-aṅgula-mātram: of eight-finger length
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (measure-determinative): ‘a measure of eight finger-breadths’
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: aṣṭa + aṅgula + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: indeed/and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)
• Role: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• kṣīra-vṛkṣa-samudbhavam: arising from a milky tree
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘kṣīra-vṛkṣāt samudbhavam’ (arisen from the milky tree)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Root: kṣīra + vṛkṣa + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhakṣayet: should chew/eat
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Root: √bhakṣ (धातु)

• danta-kāṣṭham: tooth-stick
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘dantānāṃ kāṣṭham’ (wood for teeth)
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: danta + kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: indeed/and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)
• Role: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)

• ācamya: having sipped water (ācamana)
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having sipped (water), having performed ācamana’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Root: √cam (धातु) with ā- (prefix)

• yatnataḥ: carefully
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) — ‘with effort/carefully’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• कृत्वाऽष्टाङ्गुलमात्रं = kṛtvā + aṣṭāṅgulamātram
• तत आचम्य = tataḥ + ācamya (visarga lost in sandhi)
• भक्षयेद् = bhakṣayet (d + vowel sandhi)

Speaker and setting

Shanta rasaSetting: Household threshold and water-place

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ācāra-dharma (purity as support of sādhana)

Subjects

EthicsHeritage Sites

Core idea

External cleanliness and mindful procedure steady the mind for dhyāna and worship.

In practice

Adopt a consistent morning śauca routine (dantadhāvana + ācamana) before japa, pūjā, or temple entry.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Dharma-shastra (Ācāra)
• Ritual Hygiene

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects the Purāṇic codification of daily discipline (ācāra), preserving early South Asian norms of hygiene and ritual preparation as part of broader dharma literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific place-name appears in this verse; it is a general prescriptive instruction rather than a site-specific passage.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Cultivating carefulness and cleanliness in daily practice: using an appropriately sized tooth-stick from suitable plant sources and performing ācamana attentively afterward.