Varaha Purana 116.39: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 39

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma–Nīti (Filial Piety and Social Virtue)

Devanagari script

यस्तु प्राणान्प्रमुच्येत ततः सौख्यतरं नु किम् ॥ मातरं पितरं चैव यः सदा पूजयेन नरः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 116.39

Transliteration

yas tu prāṇān pramucyeta tataḥ saukhyataraṃ nu kim | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ caiva yaḥ sadā pūjayen naraḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Ano pang higit na kaligayahan kaysa sa taong handang isuko ang buhay? Yaong lalaki na laging gumagalang at sumasamba sa ina at ama.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun (सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• prāṇān: life-breaths; lives
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• pramucyeta: would be freed (from)
• Type: Verb
• Form: Optative/Potential (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद); passive/reflexive sense: 'be released/freed'
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: pra√muc (धातु)

• tataḥ: from that; thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण), ablatival sense 'from that/thereafter'
• Role: Apadana (अपादान)
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त)

• saukhyataram: more pleasant/happier
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/1 or द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); comparative degree (तुलनात्मक)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: saukhyatara (प्रातिपदिक; tara-तुलनात्मक)

• nu: indeed? / then?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Interrogative particle (प्रश्नार्थ-निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: nu (अव्यय)

• kim: what
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/1 or द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun (प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• mātaram: mother
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)

• pitaram: father
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• yaḥ: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• sadā: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)

• pūjayet: should worship/honor
• Type: Verb
• Form: Optative/Potential (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: √pūj (धातु)

• naraḥ: a man
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• prāṇān pramucyeta: prāṇān + pramucyeta (anusvāra sandhi)
• caiva = ca + eva

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Karuna rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

Which concrete duty most embodies supreme happiness and nobility—what is the highest everyday dharma?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ethics / gratitude-based dharma

Subjects

Ethics

Core idea

Parents are primary visible ‘deities’ in worldly life; honoring them is a direct path to sukha and dharmic stability.

In practice

Serve parents through care, respectful speech, and support; perform daily acts of reverence and avoid actions that cause them distress.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha teaches Vasundharā that honoring mother and father is a pinnacle of dharma, equated with the highest happiness.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Social Ethics
• Dharma Literature

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse attests to a pan-Indic ethical priority—respect for parents—embedded in Purāṇic didactic frameworks.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Consistent honoring of one’s parents is presented as a high ethical good tied to well-being.