Varaha Purana 116.22: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 22

An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering

Devanagari script

मामेव न प्रपद्यन्ते ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ एतत्ते कथितं भद्रे दुःखकर्मविनिश्चयम्

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 116.22

Transliteration

mām eva na prapadyante tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || etat te kathitaṃ bhadre duḥkha-karma-viniścayam

Translation

وہ صرف میری ہی پناہ نہیں لیتے—اس سے بڑھ کر کون سا دکھ ہو سکتا ہے؟ اے بھدرے، یہ بات تم سے کہی گئی: دکھ دینے والے اعمال کا قطعی فیصلہ۔

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Word by Word

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (Pronoun/सर्वनाम), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, negation particle (निषेध)

• prapadyante: take refuge / surrender
• prapadyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-pad (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana, Ātmanepada

• tataḥ: therefore
• tataḥ: Hetu/Sambandha (हेतु/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• duḥkha-taram: worse
• duḥkha-taram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + tara (प्रत्यय)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; comparative

• nu: then?
• nu: Prayojaka-nipāta (प्रयोजक-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, interrogative particle

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; interrogative pronoun

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Caturthī vibhakti (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• kathitam: told, narrated
• kathitam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त; from √kath कथ्)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-प्रत्यय), Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; used predicatively 'has been told'

• bhadre: O auspicious lady
• bhadre: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana

• duḥkha-karma-viniścayam: the determination about painful actions (and their result)
• duḥkha-karma-viniścayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक) + viniścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa chain: duḥkha-karma (दुःखं कर्म) + viniścaya 'determination/decision'

Speaker

Varāha (default, addressing Pṛthivī)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Moral Philosophy

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It marks a summarizing turn typical of Purāṇic instruction, closing a list of observed sufferings with a doctrinal conclusion.

Which geographic location is identified?

None is identified in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The passage frames ‘refuge’ (prapatti) as a remedy to suffering-producing conduct, while maintaining a didactic focus on consequences of action.