Varaha Purana 172.3: Adhyaya 172, Shloka 3

The Harm of Destroying a Grove and the Merit of Tree-Planting as Pūrta-Dharma

Devanagari script

गोकर्णः सर्वभावेन गृहं विस्मृतवानसौ ॥ तथैकदा स गोकर्णस्ताः देव्यश्च हतौजसः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 172.3

Transliteration

gokarṇaḥ sarvabhāvena gṛhaṃ vismṛtavān asau || tathaikadā sa gokarṇas tā devyaś ca hataujasaḥ ||

Translation

గోకర్ణుడు సంపూర్ణ భావంతో అక్కడే ఆసక్తుడై తన గృహాన్ని మరచిపోయాడు. ఆపై ఒకసారి ఆ గోకర్ణుడు ప్రాణతేజస్సు కోల్పోయిన ఆ దేవీలను చూశాడు.

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Word by Word

• gokarṇaḥ: Gokarṇa
• gokarṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarva-bhāvena: completely/with all his being
• sarva-bhāvena: Karana (करण/Instrument; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘with entire disposition/wholly’ (manner-instrument)

• gṛham: home
• gṛham: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vismṛtavān: having forgotten
• vismṛtavān: Karta (कर्ता/Agent; participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-smṛ (धातु) + -tavat (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत्/कृतान्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• asau: that man/he
• asau: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (emphatic ‘that very one’)

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gokarṇaḥ: Gokarṇa
• gokarṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-नाम (apposition/emphasis)

• tāḥ: those (women)
• tāḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• devyaḥ: goddesses/divine ladies
• devyaḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; (पाठभेदे प्रथमा सम्भव; अत्र ‘ताः’ इति सह कर्मत्वे)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hata-ojasaḥ: whose vigor was destroyed / enfeebled
• hata-ojasaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata (कृदन्त; √han) + ojas (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि-समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘यासां ओजः हतम्’—विशेषणम् (qualifying devyaḥ)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Studies
• Moral Psychology (contextual)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse uses a common Purāṇic motif: absorption in pleasure or circumstance leading to neglect of prior obligations, setting up a moral turning point.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geography is named here; the focus is on character and narrative transition.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It cautions, indirectly through narrative, against losing one’s sense of duty and prior commitments through total absorption (sarvabhāva).