Varaha Purana 18.7: Adhyaya 18, Shloka 7

The Origin of Fire and the Liturgical Names of Agni

Devanagari script

असावप्यतितेजस्वी विकारं समरोचयत् । विकुर्वतो बभौ वह्नेर्वायुः परमदारुणः । तस्मादपि विकारस्थादाकाशं समपद्यत ॥ १८.७ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 18.7

Transliteration

asāv apy atitejasvī vikāraṃ samarocayat | vikurvato babhau vahner vāyuḥ paramadāruṇaḥ | tasmād api vikārasthād ākāśaṃ samapadyata || 18.7 ||

Translation

ఆ అత్యంత తేజస్సుగల తత్త్వమూ వికారం ప్రదర్శించింది. అగ్ని వికృతమగునప్పుడు పరమ దారుణమైన వాయువు ఉద్భవించింది; ఆ వికారస్థితి నుండే ఆకాశము జన్మించింది.

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Word by Word

• asau: that one/he
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• ati-tejasvī: exceedingly radiant/powerful
• ati-tejasvī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + tejasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) with intensifier ati-; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying asau

• vikāram: modification/change
• vikāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• samarocayat: caused to manifest/produced
• samarocayat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√ruc (रुच् धातु)
• Form: Causative (णिच्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• vikurvataḥ: of (him/it) transforming
• vikurvataḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• babhau: shone/appeared
• babhau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhā (भा धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• vahneḥ: of fire
• vahneḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vāyuḥ: wind/air
• vāyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• parama-dāruṇaḥ: extremely fierce/terrible
• parama-dāruṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying vāyuḥ

• tasmāt: from that/from him
• tasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• vikāra-sthāt: from the state of modification/from the modified (entity)
• vikāra-sthāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikāra (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन), Masculine/Neuter (contextual); used as source with tasmāt

• ākāśam: ether/space
• ākāśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• samapadyata: came into being/was produced/attained
• samapadyata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√pad (पद् धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker attribution; explicit speaker not stated in the excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmology
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Textual Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic presentation of cosmogenesis using a sequence of elemental transformations, a common intellectual motif in early Indian cosmological literature that intersects with Sāṃkhya- and Vedānta-adjacent vocabulary.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the content is cosmological rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys a philosophical instruction about causality and transformation (vikāra) in the emergence of elements, rather than an explicit ethical rule.