Varaha Purana 38.2: Adhyaya 38, Shloka 2

The Hunter’s Austerity and the Gaining of Durvāsas’ Favor

Devanagari script

भिक्षाकाले तु संप्राप्ते शीर्णपर्णान्यभक्षयत् । स कदाचित् क्षुधाविष्टो वृक्षमूलं समाश्रितः ॥ ३८.२ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 38.2

Transliteration

bhikṣākāle tu saṃprāpte śīrṇaparṇāny abhakṣayat | sa kadācit kṣudhāviṣṭo vṛkṣamūlaṃ samāśritaḥ || 38.2 ||

Translation

భిక్షాకాలం వచ్చినప్పుడు అతడు రాలిన ఆకులనే భక్షించెను. ఒకసారి ఆకలితో బాధపడుతూ చెట్టు వేరున ఆశ్రయమొందెను.

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Word by Word

• bhikṣā-kāle: at the time of alms (meal-time)
• bhikṣā-kāle: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुष: 'bhikṣāyāḥ kālaḥ' (time for alms/food)

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

• saṃprāpte: having arrived / when it came
• saṃprāpte: Sati-saptami (सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√prāp (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past participle used in locative absolute; Locative (सप्तमी), Singular, Masculine/Neuter; with 'bhikṣākāle' => 'when the time had come'

• śīrṇa-parṇāni: withered leaves
• śīrṇa-parṇāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīrṇa (√śṝ/√śṛ? क्त) + parṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Accusative, Plural; कर्मधारय: 'śīrṇāni parṇāni' (withered leaves)

• abhakṣayat: ate
• abhakṣayat: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person, Singular; Parasmaipada

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• kadācit: at some time / once
• kadācit: Kala (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• kṣudhā-āviṣṭaḥ: afflicted by hunger
• kṣudhā-āviṣṭaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (√viś क्त with ā-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष: 'kṣudhāyā āviṣṭaḥ' (afflicted by hunger)

• vṛkṣa-mūlam: the root of a tree
• vṛkṣa-mūlam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Accusative, Singular; used with 'samāśritaḥ' (resorted to)

• samāśritaḥ: having taken refuge / having sat near
• samāśritaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√śri (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त-कृदन्त); Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with subject

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Ascetic Practices
• Ecological Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative motif in which ascetic restraint is depicted through regulated eating (bhikṣā) and minimal dependence on resources, offering insight into ideals of renunciation in Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the setting is generic (a tree’s base), typical of ascetic or forest-episode narration.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds self-restraint and low-impact living—subsisting on what naturally falls (withered leaves) and seeking simple shelter—framed as a philosophical model of endurance and minimal consumption.