Varaha Purana 2.78: Adhyaya 2, Shloka 78

Cosmogony and the Ninefold Creation: Rudra’s Origin and the Prelude to the Sāvitrī-Veda Narrative

Devanagari script

एवमुक्ते तया राजन् विस्मयेन तपोधन । पृष्टा का एते पुरुषा एतत्कथय शोभने ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 2.78

Transliteration

evam ukte tayā rājan vismayena tapodhana | pṛṣṭā kā ete puruṣā etat kathaya śobhane ||

Translation

ఆమె ఇట్లు చెప్పినప్పుడు, హే రాజా, తపోధనుడైన ఋషి ఆశ్చర్యంతో అడిగెను—“ఈ పురుషులు ఎవరు? హే శోభనే, ఇది చెప్పుము.”

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Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ukte: when (it was) said
• ukte: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/ktá), Locative singular (सप्तमी एकवचन), Neuter; absolute-locative sense (सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे)

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (राजन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• vismayena: with astonishment
• vismayena: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (विस्मय प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• tapodhana: O treasure of austerity (ascetic)
• tapodhana: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas + dhana (तपस् + धन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; Tatpuruṣa: tapas-dhana = 'wealth is austerity' (तपः-धनः)

• pṛṣṭā: (she was) asked
• pṛṣṭā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—patient in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (प्रच्छ् धातु) → pṛṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/ktá), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with implied 'sā'

• kā: who?
• kā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; interrogative pronoun

• ete: these
• ete: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); demonstrative, qualifying 'puruṣāḥ'

• puruṣāḥ: men/persons
• puruṣāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (पुरुष प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; object of 'kathaya'

• kathaya: tell (me)
• kathaya: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (कथ् धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्/Imperative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• śobhane: O beautiful one / O auspicious one
• śobhane: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śobhana (शोभन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; used as address

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicit); default dialogue frame implies Varāha–Pṛthivī context, but this verse reads as a king/ascetic exchange.

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Philology
• Dialogic Frame

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: an inquiry posed by an authority figure (king/ascetic), prompting an explanatory episode that structures the surrounding chapter.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this fragment.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry—seeking clarification before judgment—an epistemic virtue frequently emphasized in Purāṇic dialogues.