Previous Verse
Next Verse

Varaha Purana 9.2: Adhyaya 9, Shloka 2

The Sequence of Creation, the Emergence of the Praṇava, and the Fish Incarnation’s Retrieval of the Vedas

श्रीवराह उवाच । पूर्वं नारायणस्त्वेको नासीत्किञ्चिद्धरेः परम् । सैक एव रतिं लेभे नैव स्वच्छन्दकर्मकृत् ॥ ९.२ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 9.2

śrīvarāha uvāca | pūrvaṁ nārāyaṇas tv eko nāsīt kiñcid dhareḥ param | saika eva ratiṁ lebhe naiva svacchanda-karmakṛt || 9.2 ||

Śrī Varāha phán: Thuở ban đầu chỉ có Nārāyaṇa duy nhất; ngoài Hari không hề có gì khác. Ngài một mình an trú trong sự mãn nguyện, không hành động chỉ vì tùy hứng.

श्रीवराहःŚrī Varāha
श्रीवराहः:
Karta (कर्ता/वक्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootश्री-वराह (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + वराह)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (श्रीमान् वराहः)
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
पूर्वम्formerly / in the beginning
पूर्वम्:
Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)
नारायणःNārāyaṇa
नारायणः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootनारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
तुindeed / but
तु:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)
एकःone / alone
एकः:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootएक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of नारायणः)
not
:
Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)
आसीत्was / existed
आसीत्:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअस् (धातु)
Formलङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
किञ्चित्anything / something
किञ्चित्:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रमाण (indefinite)
हरेःof Hari
हरेः:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootहरि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
परम्beyond / other than
परम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (किञ्चित्)
सःhe
सः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
एकःalone
एकः:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootएक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)
एवonly / indeed
एव:
Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)
रतिम्delight / pleasure
रतिम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootरति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
लेभेobtained / experienced
लेभे:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootलभ् (धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
not
:
Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निषेध-निपात
एवat all / indeed
एव:
Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधारण-निपात
स्वच्छन्दकर्मकृत्one who acts by his own will
स्वच्छन्दकर्मकृत्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootस्वच्छन्द + कर्म + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; स्वच्छन्द + कर्मन् + कृदन्त कृत्)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त (कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त, कर्तरि), विशेषण (सः); तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वच्छन्दं कर्म करोति इति)

Varāha

C
Classical Literature
P
Purāṇic Cosmology
V
Vaiṣṇavism
S
Sanskrit Textual Tradition

FAQs

It reflects a common Purāṇic cosmogonic motif: an initial state where a single supreme principle is described as existing prior to differentiation, a theme widely attested across early medieval Sanskrit narrative-theological literature.

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a cosmological preface rather than a sacred-geography passage.

The verse implies a philosophical ideal of non-capricious agency: action is not framed as arbitrary (svacchanda) but as principled, suggesting restraint and purposive conduct as a valued norm.

Ask anything about this verse

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.

Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app

Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App