Varaha Purana 97.39: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 39

The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow

Uttara Bhāga · Rudra–Pāśupata Śāstra Praśaṃsā (Doctrinal Frame)

Devanagari script

मां पुरस्कृत्य देवास्त्वं पूज्यसे यैर्विधानतः ॥ तेषां शास्त्राणि सर्वाणि शास्त्रं पाशुपतं तथा

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 97.39

Transliteration

māṃ puraskṛtya devās tvaṃ pūjyase yair vidhānataḥ || teṣāṃ śāstrāṇi sarvāṇi śāstraṃ pāśupataṃ tathā

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

என்னை முன்னிறுத்தி தேவர்கள் முறையான விதியின்படி உன்னை வழிபடுகின்றனர்; அவர்களுடைய பல சாஸ்திரங்களில் பாசுபத சாஸ்திரமும் அதுபோலவே (அதிகாரமானதாக) கருதப்படுகிறது.

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Word by Word

• माम्: me
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• पुरस्कृत्य: having put (me) in front
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having placed in front / having put forward’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: पुरस् + कृ (धातु)

• देवाः: the gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)

• त्वम्: you
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• पूज्यसे: are worshipped
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: पूज् (धातु)

• यैः: by whom
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम (relative pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) संदर्भे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• विधानतः: according to prescribed rule
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Ablatival adverb), ‘according to rule/ordinance’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)

• तेषाम्: of them
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• शास्त्राणि: treatises / scriptures
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• सर्वाणि: all
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective) to शास्त्राणि
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)

• शास्त्रम्: the scripture
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• पाशुपतम्: Pāśupata (pertaining to Paśupati)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) to शास्त्रम्
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: पाशुपत (प्रातिपदिक)

• तथा: also / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), समुच्चय/अन्वयार्थ (also/and so)
• Role: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• देवास्त्वम् = देवाः + त्वम्
• यैर्विधानतः = यैः + विधानतः

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Celestial/ritual assembly

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Attentive; hearing about interlinked authorities and sectarian śāstra recognition

What she asks

Which śāstras and ritual procedures are acknowledged as authoritative in the gods’ worship, and how is Pāśupata teaching situated among them?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Plural authority within dharma

Subjects

EthicsTextual TraditionsRitual Procedure

Core idea

Dharma can recognize multiple śāstra-streams when anchored in proper vidhi and divine sanction.

In practice

Respect procedural integrity and legitimate lineages; interpret sectarian teachings as potentially complementary within dharma when not contradicting core ethical restraints.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Śaivism
• Dharma-śāstra
• Inter-sectarian References

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic-era textual memory of multiple śāstra traditions and explicitly names the Pāśupata current, useful for mapping sectarian and doctrinal networks in early medieval Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is named in this verse; it is primarily doctrinal and ritual in focus.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes worship conducted 'according to ordinance' (vidhānataḥ), foregrounding procedural discipline and textual authority rather than personal preference.