Varaha Purana 199.2: Adhyaya 199, Shloka 2

Description of the Torments of Rebirth: The Asipatravana Punishment and the Mechanics of Karmic Retribution

Devanagari script

अथान्ये छिन्नपादास्तु छिन्नपाणिशिरोधराः ॥ पापाचारास्तथा देशादुपसर्पत मा चिरम्

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 199.2

Transliteration

athānye chinna-pādās tu chinna-pāṇi-śirodharāḥ || pāpācārās tathā deśād upasarpata mā ciram

Translation

अथान्ये छिन्नपादास्तु छिन्नपाणिशिरोधराः। पापाचारास्तथा देशादुपसर्पत मा चिरम्॥

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Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: Discourse particle (अथ-निपात) meaning ‘then/now’

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• छिन्न: cut off
• छिन्न: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त, कर्मणि कृदन्त) ‘chinna’ = ‘cut off’, stem used in compound

• पादाः: feet
• पादाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) expressing contrast/emphasis

• छिन्न: cut off
• छिन्न: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) used as compound member

• पाणि: hand
• पाणि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), stem used as compound member

• धराः: bearing (i.e., having) cut hands and heads
• धराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); Bahuvrīhi: ‘those whose hands and heads are cut off’ (छिन्नपाणि-शिरो-धर)

• पापाचाराः: evil-doers / of sinful conduct
• पापाचाराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); Karmadhāraya: ‘sinful conduct’ → ‘those of sinful conduct’

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय) meaning ‘thus/likewise’

• देशात्: from a place/region
• देशात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• उपसर्पत: approach! / come near!
• उपसर्पत: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + सृप् (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्, imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person/मध्यम), Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: Prohibitive particle (निषेध-निपात) used with imperative

• चिरम्: for long / long (time)
• चिरम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative used adverbially (कालाधिकरणे द्वितीया), ‘for long’

Speaker

Unspecified (imperative voice within Ṛṣiputra narrative; defaults to Varāha framework if needed)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Afterlife
• Didactic Narrative

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It continues a catalog-style depiction of suffering used in Purāṇic pedagogy, providing formulaic vocabulary valuable for manuscript collation and motif indexing.

Which geographic location is identified?

Only a generic ‘deśa’ (region/place) is mentioned; no historically identifiable location is specified.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse reinforces the narrative logic of karmic consequence by linking ‘sinful conduct’ with bodily affliction in the descriptive framework.