Varaha Purana 172.39: Adhyaya 172, Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

गृहकृत्यानि काष्ठानि क्षुद्रजन्तुगृहास्तथा ॥ यत्र निर्वर्त्तनं प्रोक्तं भिक्षा पत्रैः समीक्षिता ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 172.39

Transliteration

gṛhakṛtyāni kāṣṭhāni kṣudrajantugṛhās tathā | yatra nirvartanam proktaṁ bhikṣā patraiḥ samīkṣitā |

Translation

ไม้สำหรับกิจการในเรือน และที่อยู่อาศัยของสัตว์เล็กทั้งหลาย—สิ่งเหล่านี้ล้วนมีให้ ณ ที่นั้น; และกล่าวกันว่า ‘ภิกษา’ คือเครื่องยังชีพ ก็ได้รับโดยอาศัยใบไม้

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Word by Word

• gṛha-kṛtyāni: household purposes
• gṛha-kṛtyāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha-kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक; gṛha + kṛtya)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Plural; 'household-chores/uses'

• kāṣṭhāni: wood (pieces)
• kāṣṭhāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Plural

• kṣudra-jantu-gṛhāḥ: homes of small creatures
• kṣudra-jantu-gṛhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣudra-jantu-gṛha (प्रातिपदिक; kṣudra + jantu + gṛha)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; 'dwellings of small creatures'

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• yatra: wherein
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Relative adverb (देशवाचक)

• nirvartanam: performance / fulfilment
• nirvartanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nir-vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; action noun (भाववाचक) meaning 'carrying out/fulfilment'

• proktam: is declared
• proktam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; agrees with nirvartanam

• bhikṣā: alms / food obtained by begging
• bhikṣā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• patraiḥ: with leaves
• patraiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• samīkṣitā: is examined/considered
• samīkṣitā: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine, Nominative Singular; agrees with bhikṣā

Speaker

Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicitly marked)

Tags

• Ecological Ethics
• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Environmental Humanities

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It records an integrated view of trees as providers of materials, subsistence, and habitat—useful for environmental history and cultural ecology studies.

Which geographic location is identified?

None; the verse is a general ecological description.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Value trees as multi-purpose support systems for humans and other living beings, implying a duty of care and conservation.