Varaha Purana 172.18 — Adhyaya 172, Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

बहुधा वार्यमाणैस्तु पापबुद्धिसमाश्रितैः ॥ एवं तेन कृतं तत्र सोऽपि दैववशङ्गतः ॥

Transliteration

bahudhā vāryamāṇais tu pāpabuddhisamāśritaiḥ || evaṁ tena kṛtaṁ tatra so ’pi daivavaśaṅgataḥ ||

Translation

แม้ถูกห้ามปรามซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่า ผู้ที่ยึดมั่นในเจตนาบาปก็ยังทำเช่นนั้น ณ ที่นั้น ดังนั้นเขาจึงกระทำในสถานที่นั้นด้วย เพราะเขาเองก็ตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจแห่งชะตากรรม

Word by Word

• bahudhā: in many ways / repeatedly
• bahudhā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahudhā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

• vāryamāṇaiḥ: by those who were restraining (him)
• vāryamāṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vār (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—शानच् (Present Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मणि (being restrained/forbidden)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• pāpa-buddhi-samāśritaiḥ: by those possessed of sinful intent
• pāpa-buddhi-samāśritaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + samāśrita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः ‘पापबुद्धिं समाश्रिताः’ (having resorted to sinful intent)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd case), एकवचन (Singular)

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

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

• api: also
• api: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• daiva-vaśaṅgataḥ: having fallen under fate’s control
• daiva-vaśaṅgataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्ताधारित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः ‘दैवस्य वशं गतः’

Speaker

Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework; continuing narrator)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"troubled; morally reflective about agency and fate","key_question":"If they were repeatedly restrained, why did sinful intent prevail—and how does ‘daiva’ (fate) relate to culpability?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Do not follow pāpa-buddhi (sinful intent) even when urged; heed restraint and counsel—daiva is no excuse for adharma.","karmic_consequence":"Persisting in wrongdoing despite warnings intensifies pāpa; invoking fate does not remove karmic liability, though it explains entanglement and downfall."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral philosophy (agency vs fate)","core_concept":"Daiva may condition circumstances, but intention (buddhi) and choice under counsel determine karmic weight.","practical_application":"Cultivate sattvic intention; accept correction; build institutions where repeated restraint has real force (accountability for entrusted agents)."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Literature"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: karuṇa

Geographic Context

Type: narrative locale (heritage precinct)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 172.18 (the ruin described); Varāha Purāṇa 172.21–23 (lament and consolation that follow)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"People attempt to restrain wrongdoers; the wrongdoers push on with grim resolve; a shadowy sense of ‘daiva’ hangs over the scene.","item_prompts":["hands holding someone back","angry/sinful faces","gestures of warning","tools of destruction","a dark cloud motif suggesting daiva","the violated precinct in background"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dynamic restraint scene with expressive hand-gestures (mudrā-like); darkened sky band for daiva; strong outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: layered figures—restrainers and offenders; gold halo-like accents only on the admonishers to mark dharmic counsel; offenders in darker tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: courtly realism—subtle facial expressions showing pāpa-buddhi; restrained palette; background hints of damaged grove.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: compact narrative panel with multiple figures; symbolic cloud/veil for fate; delicate but tense composition."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective, admonitory","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, morally emphatic"}

Tags

• Moral Philosophy
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Classical Literature

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a recurrent Purāṇic tension between personal agency and daiva (fate), valuable for comparative studies of Indian ethical and narrative causality.

Which geographic location is identified?

No new geographic identifier appears; the verse refers back to the already established setting.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It warns against persistence in harmful intent despite counsel, and reflects on how individuals can become complicit in wrongdoing, sometimes rationalized through fate.