Varaha Purana 97.19: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 19

The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-māhātmya (Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage Narratives)

Devanagari script

तस्मिंस्तु पतिते देवि नग्नः कापालिकोऽभवत्॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 97.19

Transliteration

tasmiṃstu patite devi nagnaḥ kāpāliko 'bhavat

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ข้าแต่เทวี ครั้นเมื่อกะโหลกนั้นตกลง เขาก็กลายเป็นนักบวชกาปาลิกะผู้เปลือยกายและถือกะโหลก

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Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (situation/place)
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्गे (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)
• Role: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Discourse particle)
• Root: तु (अव्यय)

• पतिते: having fallen / fallen (in that)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), √पत् (पत् धातु), नपुंसकलिङ्गे (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); तस्मिन् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
• Role: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पत् धातु)

• देवि: O goddess
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: सम्बोधन (Address/Vocative)
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)

• नग्नः: naked
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कापालिकः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
• Role: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Root: नग्न (प्रातिपदिक)

• कापालिकः: a skull-bearing ascetic (Kāpālika)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Root: कापालिक (प्रातिपदिक)

• अभवत्: became
• Type: Verb
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपदम् (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)
• Role: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Root: √भू (भू धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• tasmiṃs-tu = तस्मिन् + तु
• kāpāliko 'bhavat = कापालिकः + अभवत् (विसर्ग-लोपः, अ-आदौ)

Speaker and setting

Bibhatsa and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Narrative ethics / impermanence

Subjects

Sacred GeographyPilgrimageMythic NarrativeHeritage Sites

Core idea

A single loss/fall can invert social identity; the story highlights how attachment to marks and instruments is fragile.

In practice

Cultivate steadiness amid reversals; keep dharma as inner orientation rather than dependence on external tokens.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Direct address to Bhū Devī as ‘devi’ while narrating an episode.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Ancient Geography
• Śaiva Motifs

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic depiction of the kāpālika (skull-bearing ascetic) motif, useful for tracing how later Sanskrit literature encodes ascetic identities and ritual symbolism.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it introduces the ascetic condition that motivates subsequent pilgrimage movement.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds transformation through consequence—actions and events lead to altered social/ascetic status—without issuing a prescriptive command.