Varaha Purana 73.18: Adhyaya 73, Shloka 18

Rudra’s Hymn: Vision of Nārāyaṇa, the Emergence of the Ādityas, and the Mutual Boon of Hari and Hara

Devanagari script

समस्तविश्वार्थिहाराय शम्भवे सहस्रसूर्यानिलतिग्मतेजसे । समस्तविद्याविधृताय चक्रिणे समस्तगीर्वाणनुते सदाऽनघ ॥ ७३.१८ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 73.18

Transliteration

samastaviśvārthihārāya śambhave sahasrasūryānilatigmatejase | samastavidyāvidhṛtāya cakriṇe samastagīrvāṇanute sadā'nagha || 73.18 ||

Translation

السلامُ والتسليمُ لشمبهو (Śambhu)، مُزيلِ جميع آلام العالم، الذي لمعانه الحادّ كألف شمسٍ وكالريح؛ والسلامُ لحاملِ المعارف كلّها، لِحاملِ القرص (تشاكرين)، الذي تسبّحه الآلهةُ جميعًا على الدوام—يا من لا دنسَ فيه ولا إثم.

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Word by Word

• samasta: all, entire

• viśva: world, universe

• ārti: distress, affliction

• hāra: remover

• śambhu/śambhava: Śiva (beneficent one)

• sahasra: thousand

• sūrya: sun

• anila: wind

• tigma: sharp, keen

• tejas: radiance, energy

• samasta: all

• vidyā: knowledge, learning

• vidhṛta: upheld, borne

• cakrin: discus-wielder (epithet also used for Viṣṇu)

• gīrvāṇa: god, divine being (deva)

• nute: (is) praised

• sadā: always

• anagha: faultless, sinless

Speaker

Varāha (default, as speaker is not explicit in the provided fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"reassured (theme: removal of world-affliction)","key_question":"How does the Supreme remove universal suffering, and how can seemingly sectarian titles converge in one ultimate referent?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Syncretic epithets (Śambhu + cakrin) point to a single supreme agency behind protection and knowledge; ‘thousand suns’ radiance signifies the purifying, ignorance-dispelling power that ‘removes afflictions’.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Radiance as sacrificial fire (agni) at cosmic scale; cakra as ṛta-enforcing wheel/order; ‘all-knowledge bearer’ as Veda upheld in the deity.","vedantic_connection":"Knowledge (vidyā) and power (tejas) are not separate from compassion (world-affliction removal): īśvara as both jñāna-svarūpa and anugraha-kartṛ."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theodicy/compassionate sovereignty","core_concept":"The Supreme’s radiance and knowledge are instruments of grace that remove the world’s afflictions; divine names can be many while the reality is one.","practical_application":"Invoke the deity as duḥkha-hara in संकट; pursue vidyā and ethical purity to align with that grace; avoid sectarian hostility in devotion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Theology (Purāṇic hymnody)","Philosophical ethics (removal of suffering)","Inter-sectarian epithets (shared divine titles)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vīra

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Geographic Context

Type: hymnic/cosmic

Cross References

Related Themes: 73.73.17, 73.73.19 (epithet-chain)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A blazing, sinless deity radiating like a thousand suns, holding the discus, while gods gather in reverent praise; the atmosphere suggests the lifting of worldly sorrow.","item_prompts":["discus (cakra) prominently","solar corona / intense light","assembly of devas in añjali","wind-swept banners to hint ‘anila-tigma-tejas’","scripture/vidyā symbols (pustaka) as ‘all-knowledge’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: central radiant cakra-bearing deity, devas in tiers, stylized flame-and-ray patterns, strong reds/golds, symmetrical composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf radiance, embossed cakra, jeweled ornaments, devas as smaller figures, ornate arch with sun motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant cakra depiction, controlled brilliance, devas delicately painted, calm yet powerful expression of anagha.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: luminous sun-disc backdrop, delicate devas, dynamic wind lines, devotional gathering in a serene mountainous-cosmos palette."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"triumphant yet protective","suggested_raga":"Kedāra","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"bright, ringing, emphasizing tejas-words"}

Tags

• Purāṇa
• Sanskrit Stotra
• Classical Literature
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Shared Epithets

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic stotra-style composition, where a deity is praised through dense epithets and cosmic imagery (e.g., “thousand suns”), reflecting a common literary mode for framing narrative authority and devotional orientation.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; it functions as a hymn of praise rather than a sacred-geography reference.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the ideal of alleviating universal suffering (“remover of the world’s afflictions”) and presents faultlessness (anagha) as a normative spiritual attribute, expressed in a non-prescriptive, laudatory form.