Varaha Purana 21.72 — Adhyaya 21, Shloka 72
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari–Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
भव शर्व महादेव पिनाकिन् रुद्र ते हर । नताः स्म सर्वे विश्वेश त्राहि नः परमेश्वर ॥ २१.७३ ॥
bhava śarva mahādeva pinākin rudra te hara | natāḥ sma sarve viśveśa trāhi naḥ parameśvara || 21.73 ||
হে ভব, শর্ব, মহাদেব, পিনাকী, রুদ্র, হর! হে বিশ্বেশ্বর, আমরা সকলেই আপনাকে প্রণাম করি; হে পরমেশ্বর, আমাদের রক্ষা করুন।
Unspecified (defaulting to the Varāha Purāṇa dialogue framework: Pṛthivī or attendants addressing a deity in praise)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"supplicatory, seeking protection amid cosmic uncertainty","key_question":"Will you, the Supreme Lord addressed by many names, protect us?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The verse models Purāṇic inclusivism: the ‘Supreme Lord’ is praised through Śaiva epithets, implying a single sovereignty behind sectarian name-forms—useful for reading Varāha Purāṇa’s shared mythic cycles.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None (no explicit Yajña-Varāha anatomy); the ‘many-named Lord’ motif can be read as the ritual principle receiving diverse invocations.","vedantic_connection":"Name-and-form plurality (nāma-rūpa) points to one īśvara; devotion (praṇāma) becomes a unifying sādhanā beyond denominational labels."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"devotional theology","core_concept":"Śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) through praise and surrender to the one ‘Viśveśa/Parameśvara’ addressed by multiple epithets.","practical_application":"Use nāma-saṅkīrtana and praṇāma as daily refuge-practice; cultivate non-hostility across devotional vocabularies."}
Subject Matter: ["Devotional Hymnody","Ethics","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 21.21.73 (Śaiva epithets in a protection-prayer)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A group of devas (or a single representative supplicant) bows with folded hands, chanting Rudra’s names, seeking protection from the Supreme Lord.","item_prompts":["devas in añjali","a central austere Maheśvara figure with triśūla/damaru suggested (if illustrated)","radiant halo signifying Parameśvara","inscribed epithets (Bhava, Śarva, Mahādeva, Pinākin, Rudra, Hara) as a garland of words"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: devas in orderly rows, stylized eyes; Maheśvara with calm face and strong outline; emphasize mantra-text as decorative band.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf halo and ornaments; central deity large, devotees smaller; temple-arch framing; epithets as embossed script motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined devotional courtly scene; soft palette; focus on añjali and serene protection-giving presence.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside-temple ambience; delicate figures; flowing banner with the epithets; intimate bhakti mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"prayerful and urgent yet composed","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, pleading on ‘trāhi naḥ’, with dignified resonance on the epithets"}
FAQs
It illustrates a common Purāṇic literary feature: a compact stuti (praise formula) using multiple epithets to identify a deity across regional and sectarian naming traditions, reflecting the interwoven theological vocabulary of early medieval Sanskrit literature.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily a devotional address (stuti) rather than a site-description.
The verse models humility and supplication—an ethical posture of acknowledging human vulnerability and seeking protection through reverential speech rather than asserting dominance or entitlement.
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