Varaha Purana 55.31 — Adhyaya 55, Shloka 31
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
राजोवाच । क्षराक्षरं क्षीरसमुद्रशायिनं क्षितीधरं मूर्तिमतां परं पदम् । अतीन्द्रियं विश्वभुजां पुरः कृतं निराकृतं स्तौमि जनार्दनं प्रभुम् ॥ ५५.३१ ॥
rājovāca | kṣarākṣaraṁ kṣīrasamudraśāyinaṁ kṣitīdharaṁ mūrtimatāṁ paraṁ padam | atīndriyaṁ viśvabhujāṁ puraḥ kṛtaṁ nirākṛtaṁ staumi janārdanaṁ prabhum || 55.31 ||
রাজা বললেন—আমি জনার্দন প্রভুর স্তব করি; তিনি ক্ষর ও অক্ষর উভয়ই, ক্ষীরসাগরে শয়নকারী, পৃথিবীধারক, মূর্তিমানদের মধ্যে পরম পদ, ইন্দ্রিয়াতীত, বিশ্বপালনের অগ্রে প্রতিষ্ঠিত, তবু নিরাকার ও নিরুপাধি।
Rājā (the King)
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":"None","key_question":"None (a royal stuti establishing the Lord as both kṣara/akṣara, with form yet beyond form)."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Implicit Vaiṣṇava theism (Janārdana) but no Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa-līlā marker in the verse."}
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 hymn frames Viṣṇu as simultaneously immanent (kṣara) and transcendent (akṣara), with ‘bearing the earth’ functioning as a cosmic-support motif that can be read through Yajña-Vārāha/Vaiṣṇava cosmology: the Lord is the ground of manifestation while remaining nirākṛta (unconditioned).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Generalized rather than anatomical: ‘kṣitīdhara’ (earth-bearer) and ‘kṣīrasamudraśāyin’ (reclining on the Milk Ocean) evoke Purāṇic cosmic iconography; no tusk/hoof mappings stated.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges saguṇa/nirguṇa discourse: ‘mūrtimatāṃ paraṃ padam’ with ‘nirākṛtam’ echoes Upaniṣadic Brahman as beyond sense (atīndriya) yet the support of the world-order."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology-metaphysics (immanence/transcendence)","core_concept":"The Lord is both within change (kṣara) and beyond change (akṣara), perceptible as ‘form’ yet ultimately beyond all conditioning.","practical_application":"Use stuti and contemplation to hold together devotion to a personal Lord with insight into the unconditioned ground of being."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Theology (Vaishnava hymnody)","Philosophy of form and formlessness"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: cosmic-ocean / mythic space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring kṣitīdhara/earth-support and atīndriya epithets in Vaiṣṇava stutis (general motif)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in añjali praises Janārdana envisioned as Viṣṇu reclining on the Milk Ocean, simultaneously radiating a formless, unconditioned aura; the Earth is symbolically supported beneath/within his cosmic presence.","item_prompts":["king in royal attire with folded hands","Viṣṇu on Śeṣa over milky waves","halo suggesting nirākṛta/atīndriya transcendence","Earth globe or Bhū symbol near the Lord’s support-bearing posture","conch/discus motifs as subtle emblems (even if not named here)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette: Viṣṇu-śayana on Śeṣa in Kṣīrasamudra, the king at lower corner in añjali, strong outlining, serene śānta-bhāva, luminous aura indicating atīndriya nirākṛta.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Viṣṇu on Śeṣa with heavy gold-leaf prabhāmaṇḍala, milky ocean stylized, king as small donor-figure, earth-support symbol at base, rich ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined Viṣṇu-śayana with delicate shading, subdued milky ocean, king in respectful pose, emphasis on calm transcendence through soft halo and minimal clutter.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Kṣīrasamudra scene with rolling pale waves, Viṣṇu on Śeṣa under a stylized canopy, small-scale king devotee, poetic space conveying nirguṇa-saguṇa tension."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic-śānta stuti","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"deep, steady, reverential with clear articulation of compounds"}
FAQs
It exemplifies Purāṇic stuti (formal praise) in which a royal speaker articulates a layered theological vocabulary—combining cosmological imagery (Ocean of Milk, Earth-bearer) with philosophical categories (kṣara/akṣara; sensory transcendence).
No terrestrial pilgrimage site is named in this verse; the primary ‘location’ is cosmological: the Kṣīrasamudra (Ocean of Milk), a standard Purāṇic cosmic setting associated with Viṣṇu.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse models a philosophical instruction: recognizing a single ultimate principle described through complementary attributes—immanent (supporting the Earth) and transcendent (beyond senses and form).
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