Varaha Purana 175.11: Adhyaya 175, Shloka 11

The Sanctity of the Kṛṣṇagaṅgā Pilgrimage-Ford and the Account of the Brahmin Vasu’s Daughter

Devanagari script

दुर्भिक्षपीडितोऽत्यन्तं सभार्यो दक्षिणां गतः॥ शिवनद्याः दक्षिणे तु कूले स वरपत्तने॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 175.11

Transliteration

durbhikṣapīḍito 'tyantaṃ sabhāryo dakṣiṇāṃ gataḥ || śivanadyāḥ dakṣiṇe tu kūle sa varapattane

Translation

Тяжко страдая от голода, он отправился на юг вместе с женой. На южном берегу реки Шива он поселился в Варапаттане.

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Word by Word

• दुर्भिक्ष-पीडितः: afflicted by famine
• दुर्भिक्ष-पीडितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्भिक्ष + पीडित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) ‘पीडित’, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दुर्भिक्षेण पीडितः)

• अत्यन्तम्: extremely
• अत्यन्तम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यन्त (अव्यय/नपुंसक)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रतावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: extremely)

• स-भार्यः: with (his) wife
• स-भार्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपपद) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (भार्या सह यस्य = with wife)

• दक्षिणाम्: to the south
• दक्षिणाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; दिशावाचक (to the south)

• गतः: went
• गतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• शिव-नद्याः: of the Śivā river
• शिव-नद्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शिवा नाम नदी)

• दक्षिणे: on the southern side
• दक्षिणे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘on the southern (side)’

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• कूले: on the bank
• कूले: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वर-पत्तने: in the excellent town
• वर-पत्तने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + पत्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरं पत्तनम् = excellent town)

Speaker

Varāha (default narrative voice) to Pṛthivī (inquirer framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Ancient Geography
• Environmental Stress (Famine)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a social-historical motif—famine-driven migration—embedded in a sacred-geography narrative, offering clues about how texts remembered environmental stress and relocation.

Which geographic location is identified?

The river Śivā and a settlement called Varapattana on its southern bank; precise modern mapping is uncertain without wider textual and regional correlation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It implicitly highlights resilience and household responsibility under scarcity, presenting migration as a pragmatic response to environmental hardship.