Varaha Purana 7.32 — Adhyaya 7, Shloka 32

The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu

Gadādhara

Devanagari script

सुरासुरैरर्च्चितपादपङ्कजं केयूरहाराङ्गद मौलिधारिणम् । अब्दौ शयानं च रथाङ्गपाणिनं गदाधरं प्रणमति यः सुखं वसेत् ॥ ७.३२ ॥

Transliteration

surāsurair arcchitapādapaṅkajaṁ keyūrahārāṅgada-maulidhāriṇam | abdau śayānaṁ ca rathāṅgapāṇinaṁ gadādharaṁ praṇamati yaḥ sukhaṁ vaset || 7.32 ||

Translation

مَن يَخْضَعُ بخشوعٍ للربِّ حاملِ الهِراوة—الذي تُعْبَدُ لوتسُ قدميه من السورَةِ والآسورَةِ معًا؛ المتحلّي بالأساور والقلائد والحُلِيّ والتاج؛ الراقدِ على المحيط؛ والذي بيده القرص (التشاكرا)—يَسْكُنْ في السعادة.

Word by Word

• sura-asuraiḥ: by gods and demons
• sura-asuraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Bahuvacana; द्वन्द्वः: 'by gods and demons'

• arcchita-pāda-paṅkajam: whose lotus-feet are worshipped
• arcchita-pāda-paṅkajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcchita/arcita (कृदन्त; √arc/अर्च्-पूजायाम्, PPP) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + paṅkaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: 'whose lotus-feet are worshipped' (pāda-paṅkaja = karmadhāraya within)

• keyūra-hāra-aṅgada-mauli-dhāriṇam: wearing armlets, garlands, bracelets, and a crown
• keyūra-hāra-aṅgada-mauli-dhāriṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: keyūra (प्रातिपदिक) + hāra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅgada (प्रातिपदिक) + mauli (प्रातिपदिक) + dhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः listing ornaments + dhārin 'wearer' as final member (tatpurusha-like dependency)

• abdau: in the ocean
• abdau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abdi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana

• śayānam: lying (reclining)
• śayānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √śī (धातु; शी-शयने) + śayāna (कृदन्त; present active participle)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• ratha-aṅga-pāṇinam: having the discus in his hand
• ratha-aṅga-pāṇinam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: 'having the discus (rathāṅga) in hand'

• gadā-dharam: the mace-bearer
• gadā-dharam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• praṇamati: bows down
• praṇamati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु; नम्-प्रणामे)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• sukham: happily
• sukham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya used adverbially

• vaset: may dwell
• vaset: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (धातु; वस्-निवासे)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not present in excerpt)

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":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Ocean-reclining Nārāyaṇa iconography is pan-Vaiṣṇava; no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa cue."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Practice of worship/praṇāma to the universally revered Lord (worshipped by sura and asura) is commended as a dharmic act yielding happiness.","karmic_consequence":"Reverence to the Lord’s lotus-feet leads to sukha; disrespect to the sacred (pāda-puṣpa/lotus-feet) is implicitly demeritorious (not explicit)."}

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":"theistic contemplation (upāsanā)","core_concept":"The Lord is the refuge of all beings and the object of worship even for opposing cosmic factions; his feet are the locus of surrender.","practical_application":"Meditate on the lotus-feet; integrate iconographic contemplation (cakra, gadā, śayana) into japa/pūjā to stabilize devotion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Devotional Practice","Iconography","Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic realm

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 7.7.31-35 (Gadādhara-stotra unit)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Gadādhara as ocean-reclining Nārāyaṇa, richly ornamented, with cakra in hand; gods and asuras together offer worship at his lotus-feet.","item_prompts":["Ocean waves","reclining posture (śayana)","cakra (rathāṅga)","gadā","ke yūra (armlets), hāra (necklace), aṅgada (bracelets), mauli (diadem)","groups of devas and asuras with offerings"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Ananta-śayana on stylized ocean, bold jewelry, devas/asuras symmetrically placed with lamps and flowers, saturated palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: reclining Viṣṇu with heavy gold-leaf ornaments, embossed ocean border, cakra highlighted, worshippers in gold-accented miniatures.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined reclining figure, intricate ornaments, soft ocean gradation, devas/asuras rendered with calm dignity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic ocean scene with gentle waves, reclining Lord on a couch-like serpent implied, small worshipping figures, airy blues."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic devotional","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"sonorous, expansive"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic literary mode: concise stuti (praise) linked to a practical discipline (praṇāma/bowing). Such verses document the standardization of Vaiṣṇava iconographic markers (cakra, gadā, ocean-reclining posture) and the ethical-psychological framing of devotion as a source of sukha (well-being).

Which geographic location is identified?

No terrestrial pilgrimage site is named in this verse. The setting is cosmographic: the deity is described as reclining 'in/on the ocean' (abdau śayānam), a mythic-ocean motif rather than a specific mapped location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse promotes a disciplined posture of reverence (praṇāma) toward an idealized, universally venerated figure, presenting respectful attention and humility as a means to cultivate sukha (stable well-being) rather than as coercive obligation.