Varaha Purana 116.16: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 16

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Uttara Bhāga · Dharma–Karma-vipāka (Ethical Consequences and Social Observation)

Devanagari script

शुष्कान्नं केचिदश्नन्ति ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ वरवस्त्रावृतां शय्यां समासेवति भूषिताम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.16

Transliteration

śuṣkānnaṃ kecid aśnanti tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || vara-vastrāvṛtāṃ śayyāṃ samāsevati bhūṣitām

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

केचित् शुष्कान्नं भुञ्जते—ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्। अपरः वरवस्त्रावृतां भूषितां शय्यां समासेवते॥

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Word by Word

• शुष्क-अन्नम्: dry food
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (शुष्कम् अन्नम्)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)

• केचित्: some (people)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (निपात)

• अश्नन्ति: eat
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: अश् (धातु)

• ततः: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)

• दुःखतरम्: more painful
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: दुःखतर (प्रातिपदिक)

• नु: indeed?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय, निपात
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Root: नु (अव्यय)

• किम्: what?
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वर-वस्त्र-आवृताम्: covered with fine garments
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (वरैः वस्त्रैः आवृता)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आवृत (प्रातिपदिक; √वृ, क्त)

• शय्याम्: bed
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: शय्या (प्रातिपदिक)

• समासेवति: he resorts to / enjoys
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: सम्+आ+सेव् (धातु)

• भूषिताम्: adorned
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: भूषित (प्रातिपदिक; √भूष्, क्त)

Sandhi Notes

• शुष्कान्नं = शुष्क-अन्नम्
• केचिदश्नन्ति = केचित् अश्नन्ति
• वरवस्त्रावृताम् = वर-वस्त्र-आवृताम्

Speaker and setting

Karuna and Shanta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Vairāgya with compassion

Subjects

EthicsKarmaSocial Inequality

Core idea

External comfort (śayyā, vastra) and scarcity (śuṣkānna) are unstable karmic outcomes; true well-being lies in dharma and inner steadiness.

In practice

In wealth: practice dāna and simplicity; in poverty: maintain śauca and patience, avoid resentment; cultivate equanimity toward pleasure and pain.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Cultural History
• Moral Philosophy

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents a moralizing contrast between austerity/privation and luxury, a common frame for discussing karmic outcomes in Purāṇic discourse.

Which geographic location is identified?

None; the contrast is domestic and social rather than geographic.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To recognize how worldly comforts and deprivations are unstable and often framed as results within karmic narratives.