Varaha Purana 116.20: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 20

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

एका तु दुर्भगा तत्र ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यस्त्रयो वर्णाः सुमध्यमे

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.20

Transliteration

ekā tu durbhagā tatra tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyas trayo varṇāḥ sumadhyame

Translation

एका तु दुर्भगा तत्र; ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्? हे सुमध्यमे, ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यश्च—एते त्रयो वर्णाः।

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Word by Word

• ekā: one (woman)
• ekā: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; numeral used substantively

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात)

• durbhagā: unfortunate
• durbhagā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-bhaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya compound (दुर् + भगा) meaning 'ill-fated'

• tatra: there/in that case
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (देशवाचक)

• tataḥ: therefore
• tataḥ: Hetu/Sambandha (हेतु/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• duḥkha-taram: worse
• duḥkha-taram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + tara (प्रत्यय)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; comparative

• nu: then?
• nu: Prayojaka-nipāta (प्रयोजक-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, interrogative particle (निपात)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; interrogative pronoun

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kṣatriyaḥ: a Kshatriya
• kṣatriyaḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vaiśyaḥ: a Vaishya
• vaiśyaḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• trayaḥ: three
• trayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन); numeral adjective

• varṇāḥ: classes/castes
• varṇāḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• su-madhyame: O fair-waisted one
• su-madhyame: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + madhyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti (Vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya epithet 'good-waisted'

Speaker

Varāha (default, addressing Pṛthivī as inquirer)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Social History
• Dharma Discourse

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It combines household-level suffering with a transition into social classification language, reflecting how Purāṇas embed ethics within broader social frameworks.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is mentioned.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To note the pain caused by misfortune and partiality, and to frame human life within recognized social categories used by the text’s milieu.