Varaha Purana 39.27: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 27

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

Devanagari script

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

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 39.27

Transliteration

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

Translation

Tendo preparado um palito dental (dantakāṣṭha) de oito larguras de dedo, proveniente de uma árvore de seiva leitosa, deve mastigá-lo; em seguida, com cuidado, realizar o ācamana, sorvendo água purificadora.

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Word by Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaker

Varāha

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.