Varaha Purana 113.64: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 64

Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry

Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue

Pūrva Bhāga · Matsya narrative allusion (Textual preservation motif)

Devanagari script

वेदेषु चैव नष्टेषु मत्स्यो भूत्वा रसातलम् ॥ प्रविश्य तानथोत्कृष्य ब्रह्मणे दत्तवानसि ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 113.64

Transliteration

vedeṣu caiva naṣṭeṣu matsyo bhūtvā rasātalam || praviśya tān athotkṛṣya brahmaṇe dattavān asi ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Khi các Veda bị thất lạc, Ngài hóa thân làm Cá và đi vào Rasātala; rồi Ngài thu hồi chúng và trao lại cho Brahmā.

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Word by Word

• vedeṣu: when/in the Vedas
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Bahuvacana (plural)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location; circumstance)
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• eva: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (emphatic particle: indeed/just)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• naṣṭeṣu: lost / destroyed
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Bahuvacana (plural); kta-pratyaya PPP used adjectivally qualifying vedeṣu
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Root: naṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; √naś past passive participle)

• matsyaḥ: (as) a fish (Matsya)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (singular)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhūtvā: having become
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), indicating prior action
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Root: √bhū (धातु)

• rasātalam: Rasātala (netherworld)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुṃsaka-liṅga (neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana (singular)
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object/Goal)
• Root: rasātala (प्रातिपदिक)

• praviśya: having entered
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु)

• tān: them (the Vedas)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Bahuvacana (plural); refers to ‘vedān’ understood
• Role: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• atha: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Anantaram/ārambha-avyaya (then/thereupon)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Root: atha (अव्यय)

• utkṛṣya: having drawn up / retrieved
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Prior action)
• Root: ud-√kṛṣ (धातु)

• brahmaṇe: to Brahmā
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Caturthī vibhakti (Dative/4th), Ekavacana (singular)
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)

• dattavān: (you) gave / have given
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kta-vat (क्तवत्) past active participle, Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (singular); periphrastic perfect sense with ‘asi’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal predicate)
• Root: √dā (धातु)

• asi: you are (i.e., you have)
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana (singular), Parasmaipada; auxiliary with dattavān
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Auxiliary)
• Root: √as (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• caiva=ca eva
• athotkṛṣya=atha utkṛṣya
• dattavānasi=dattavān asi

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Netherworld (pātāla realm)

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Theology of revelation

Subjects

CosmologyHeritage Sites

Core idea

When knowledge collapses, divine intervention restores the sources of dharma; creation depends on recovered śruti.

In practice

Treat study/recitation of śāstra as participation in cosmic restoration; protect learning traditions and transmit them responsibly.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Mythic Historiography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It attests to the widespread Purāṇic motif of safeguarding textual knowledge (the Vedas) through avatāra narratives, relevant to intellectual history and mythic historiography.

Which geographic location is identified?

Rasātala is identified as a netherworld region in Purāṇic cosmography rather than a terrestrial place.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The implied principle is the protection and restoration of foundational knowledge, framed through a mythic exemplar.