Varaha Purana 8.30: Adhyaya 8, Shloka 30

Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices

Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna

Devanagari script

दिव्यो भौटस्तथा पैत्रो मानुषो ब्राह्म एव च । एते पञ्च महायज्ञा ब्रह्मणा निर्मिताः पुरा ॥ ८.३० ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 8.30

Transliteration

divyo bhautas tathā paitro mānuṣo brāhma eva ca | ete pañca mahāyajñā brahmaṇā nirmitāḥ purā || 8.30 ||

Translation

Obrządek boski, obrządek żywiołów, obrządek przodków, obrządek ludzki oraz obrządek brahmiczny, te pięć wielkich ofiar ustanowił niegdyś Brahma.

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Word by Word

• divyaḥ: divine
• divyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• bhautaḥ: pertaining to beings/elements
• bhautaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhauta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपपद (adverb: 'so/also')

• paitraḥ: ancestral/pitṛ-related
• paitraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• mānuṣaḥ: human
• mānuṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• brāhmaḥ: Brahma-related / sacred
• brāhmaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

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

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pañca: five
• pañca: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषणम्

• mahāyajñāḥ: great sacrifices (mahāyajñas)
• mahāyajñāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-yajña (प्रातिपदिक: महा + यज्ञ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् यज्ञः)

• brahmaṇā: by Brahman / by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• nirmitāḥ: created/made
• nirmitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√mā (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: कृत्यन्त/कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘निर्मिताः’ = ‘were created’

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dharma
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Dharma-oriented classification of key social and ritual obligations (the five great sacrifices), a theme widely attested across Purāṇic and Smṛti literature as a framework for household and communal responsibility.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is thematic, focusing on an ethical-ritual taxonomy rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds an ideal of reciprocal responsibility—toward the divine, the natural world and living beings, ancestors, fellow humans, and sacred learning—by presenting these as foundational categories of duty.