Varaha Purana 18.8: Adhyaya 18, Shloka 8

The Origin of Fire and the Liturgical Names of Agni

Devanagari script

तच्छब्दलक्षणं व्योम स च वायुः प्रतापवान् । तच्च तेजोऽम्भसा युक्तं श्लिष्टमन्योन्यतस्तदा ॥ १८.८ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 18.8

Transliteration

tacchabdalakṣaṇaṃ vyoma sa ca vāyuḥ pratāpavān | tacca tejo’mbhasā yuktaṃ śliṣṭam anyonyatas tadā || 18.8 ||

Translation

ครั้นแล้ว วโยมะ (อากาศ) อันมีลักษณะคือเสียงก็อุบัติขึ้น และลมผู้ทรงเดชก็เช่นกัน ในกาลนั้นเอง เตชัส (ไฟ) ที่ประกอบด้วยน้ำได้ประสานเกาะเกี่ยวกันโดยประการทั้งปวง

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Word by Word

• tat-śabda-lakṣaṇam: having sound as its characteristic
• tat-śabda-lakṣaṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying vyoma

• vyoma: sky/ether
• vyoma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyoman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

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

• pratāpavān: powerful/ardent
• pratāpavān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratāpa-vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Matup-derivative (वत्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying vāyuḥ

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); correlating with tejaḥ

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• tejaḥ: fire/energy/splendor
• tejaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ambhasā: with water/by water
• ambhasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• yuktam: joined/combined
• yuktam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (युज् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agreeing with tejaḥ

• śliṣṭam: clung/closely united
• śliṣṭam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śliṣ (श्लिष् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agreeing with tejaḥ

• anyonyataḥ: mutually/with each other
• anyonyataḥ: Itaretara-sambandha (परस्पर-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyonya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial ablative (तसिल्-प्रत्यय/अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग), meaning 'mutually/from each other'

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmology
• Sanskrit Philology
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic model of cosmogony in which the classical elements are described through defining qualities (e.g., sound for space), a framework shared across several Sanskrit cosmological texts.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it is a cosmological description of elemental formation rather than a sacred-place narrative.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No direct ethical injunction is stated here; the verse primarily conveys a philosophical account of how elemental principles are understood to arise and combine.