Varaha Purana 49.35 — Adhyaya 49, Shloka 35

The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit

Devanagari script

इति राजा वचः श्रुत्वा अगस्त्यस्य महात्मनः । अल्पोपदेशराजासौ पप्रच्छ मुनिपुङ्गवम् ॥ ४९.३५ ॥

Transliteration

iti rājā vacaḥ śrutvā agastyasya mahātmanaḥ | alpopadeśa-rājāsau papraccha muni-puṅgavam || 49.35 ||

Translation

于是，国王听闻大魂阿伽斯提耶之言；因所受教诲尚简略，便向圣贤之冠（munipuṅgava）发问。

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (वाक्यार्थ-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative particle

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vacaḥ: speech/words
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of śrutvā

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; pūrvakāla)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त): √śru + ktvā; 'having heard'

• agastyasya: of Agastya
• agastyasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; genitive (of Agastya)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• mahātmanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of agastyasya

• alpa-upadeśa-rājā: the king of little instruction (poorly instructed king)
• alpa-upadeśa-rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक) + rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (karmadhāraya/tatpuruṣa sense): 'alpaḥ upadeśaḥ yasya' (semantic); Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; epithet of rājā

• asau: that (king)
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun in apposition

• papraccha: asked
• papraccha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√prach (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (लिट्; perfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana

• muni-puṅgavam: the foremost of sages
• muni-puṅgavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: munīnām puṅgavaḥ); Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of papraccha

Speaker

Narrator (unspecified); default dialogue frame: Varāha–Pṛthivī

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"Implicit: the king seeks fuller instruction beyond the brief teaching—what is the complete dharma/observance being indicated?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Epistemology of dharma (how knowledge is transmitted)","core_concept":"Brief instruction awakens deeper inquiry; dharma is clarified through respectful questioning of realized sages.","practical_application":"When guidance is partial, ask precise follow-up questions; approach teachers with humility and attentiveness."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Dialogue Form","Transmission of Knowledge","Sage-King Discourse","Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: Jijñāsā (knowledge-seeking)

Secondary Rasa: Śānta

Geographic Context

Type: Dialogic setting (royal-sage discourse)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 49.49.37 (question about Dvādaśī observance)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king, having heard Agastya’s words, leans forward in respectful curiosity, beginning his question to the sage.","item_prompts":["king seated with crown","sage Agastya with kamaṇḍalu and staff","gesture of inquiry (raised hand)","assembly setting","scroll/palm-leaf as symbol of teaching"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal figures, ornate kingly attire; Agastya with distinctive sage features; stylized court backdrop.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central sage with gold aura; king in profile offering respectful query; rich textiles and embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: intimate court scene; nuanced expressions—king’s curiosity, sage’s calm; warm interior palette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: light architectural pavilion; delicate linework; conversational posture emphasized with minimal props."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Conversational, anticipatory","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"narrative, slightly rising intonation to signal the turn into a question"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Sanskrit Philology
• Dialogic Instruction

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a common Purāṇic pedagogical structure: a royal listener receives a teaching from a sage and then continues the inquiry, reflecting the text’s dialogic method of transmitting dharma, cosmology, and cultural knowledge.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative hinge introducing further questions after Agastya’s speech.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds an epistemic ethic: attentive listening (śrutvā) followed by respectful questioning (papraccha) as the appropriate method for clarifying and extending instruction.