Varaha Purana 96.52: Adhyaya 96, Shloka 52

The Threefold Power: The Raudrī Observance and the Manifestation of Chāmuṇḍā

Uttara Bhāga · Devī–Rudra Saṃvāda (Domestic spaces and spirit-categories)

Devanagari script

अन्याः सूतिगृहे छिद्रं गृह्णीयुस्तत्र पूजिताः ॥ निवसिष्यन्ति देवेश तथान्या जातहारिकाः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 96.52

Transliteration

anyāḥ sūtigṛhe chidraṃ gṛhṇīyus tatra pūjitāḥ || nivasiṣyanti deveśa tathānyā jātahārikāḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ผู้อื่นเมื่อได้รับการบูชา ณ ที่นั้นแล้ว พึงเข้าไปอาศัยในช่องแยก/รูภายในห้องคลอด. ข้าแต่เจ้าแห่งเทพทั้งหลาย! เช่นเดียวกัน ยังมีพวกอื่นที่เรียกว่า ‘ชาตหาริกา’ คือผู้เกี่ยวข้องกับการพาเอาทารกแรกเกิดไป ก็พึงพำนักอยู่ด้วย.

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Word by Word

• अन्याः: others (women)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)
• Role: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• सूति-गृहे: in the lying-in room / maternity house
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (सूत्या/प्रसवस्य गृहः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc sg)
• Role: अधिकरण (Location/अधिकरण)
• Root: सूति (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)

• छिद्रम्: a hole/opening
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc sg)
• Role: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Root: छिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• गृह्णीयुः: should take/seize
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (3rd pl)
• Role: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)

• तत्र: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• पूजिताः: having been worshipped / honoured
• Type: Verb
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)
• Role: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)

• निवसिष्यन्ति: will dwell
• Type: Verb
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (3rd pl)
• Role: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Root: नि-वास् (धातु)

• देवेश: O lord of gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (देवानाम् ईशः)
• Role: सम्बोधन (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (adverb; likewise)
• Role: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

• अन्याः: other (women)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)
• Role: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• जात-हारिकाः: newborn-stealers
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (जातस्य हारिका = newborn-stealer); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)
• Role: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Root: जात (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + हारिका (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• सूतिगृहे = सूति + गृहे
• तथान्या = तथा + अन्याः

Speaker and setting

Bhayanaka and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Domestic ritual space

Speaker

Rudra (continuation of instruction)

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ritual technology for liminality

Subjects

Ritual CultureHeritage SitesEthics

Core idea

Liminal moments (birth) attract destabilizing forces; dharma responds by honoring, naming, and spatially containing them rather than ignoring them.

In practice

During birth-related rites, maintain protective boundaries (clean thresholds, guarded openings), perform prescribed offerings, and keep the space ritually supervised.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Protective Rites
• Cultural Anthropology (archival tag)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves domestic-ritual vocabulary (sūtigṛha) and spirit-classification terms, relevant to historians of family rites and protective practices in Sanskrit traditions.

Which geographic location is identified?

No external geography is named; the ‘location’ is a domestic interior (the childbirth room).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The passage suggests containment and appeasement—assigning places and honoring rites to prevent harm to vulnerable persons (especially mothers and newborns).