Varaha Purana 7.35 — Adhyaya 7, Shloka 35
The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu
Gadādhara
सत्त्वं रजश्चैव तमो गुणास्त्रयस् त्वेतॆषु नान्यस्य समुद्भवः किल । स चैक एव त्रिविधो गदाधरो दधातु धैर्यं मम धर्ममोक्षयोः ॥ ७.३५ ॥
sattvaṁ rajaś caiva tamo guṇās trayas tv eteṣu nānyasya samudbhavaḥ kila | sa caika eva trividho gadādharo dadhātu dhairyaṁ mama dharma-mokṣayoḥ || 7.35 ||
সত্ত্ব, রজ ও তম—এই তিন গুণ; এদের বাইরে প্রকাশের অন্য কোনো উৎস নেই বলেই বলা হয়। আর সেই এক গদাধরই ত্রিবিধরূপে প্রকাশিত; তিনি ধর্ম ও মোক্ষ বিষয়ে আমাকে ধৈর্য দান করুন।
Varāha (default speaker within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework; explicit attribution not present in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"No explicit Kṛṣṇa/Mathurā; guṇa-theory is pan-Indic and Vaiṣṇava here via Gadādhara."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Seek dharma and mokṣa with dhairya (steadfastness) grounded in understanding guṇas and devotion to the one Lord who manifests as their triad.","karmic_consequence":"Steadfast pursuit of dharma and liberation is supported by divine grace; instability under guṇas leads to ethical wavering and bondage (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The Lord as the single substratum appearing as the three guṇas: he is beyond yet ‘threefold’ in cosmic operation—linking Sāṅkhya categories to theistic governance.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Guṇas as the three strands of ritual-cosmos (like three fires/three steps) is an interpretive overlay; the verse itself states tri-guṇa ontology without explicit yajña-limb mapping.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges Sāṅkhya and Vedānta: prakṛti’s guṇas explain manifestation, while Īśvara (Gadādhara) is the one controller/granter of dhairya enabling dharma and mokṣa."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology + metaphysics","core_concept":"All manifestation operates through sattva-rajas-tamas; liberation requires steadiness and discernment, aided by devotion to the one Lord who presides over guṇas.","practical_application":"Practice guṇa-viveka (observe which guṇa drives a thought/action), cultivate sattva through discipline, and pray for dhairya to sustain dharma and mokṣa-oriented life."}
Subject Matter: ["Sāṅkhya-informed Cosmology (Guṇas)","Ethics (Dharma)","Soteriology (Mokṣa)","Theology as Literary Motif (Gadādhara epithet)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 7.7.34 (unity behind cosmic functions); Varāha Purāṇa 7.7.31-33 (devotional frame leading into cosmology)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Gadādhara as a serene central deity with three emanating color/energy bands representing sattva (white/clear), rajas (red/gold), tamas (dark/blue-black); a devotee prays for dhairya to pursue dharma and mokṣa.","item_prompts":["Central Gadādhara with mace","three guṇa streams or three halos","symbols of dharma (scale/book/śāstra) and mokṣa (lotus, upward flame, open sky)","devotee in añjali"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bold tri-color guṇa aura around Gadādhara, calm face, devotee at base, stylized lotus and flame motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf central icon with embossed triple aura, guṇa colors in enamel-like fields, dharma/mokṣa emblems in corners.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: subtle tri-color shading, refined ornaments, contemplative devotee, elegant symbolic motifs for dharma and mokṣa.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: gentle hillside/sky backdrop symbolizing mokṣa, tri-color ribbons around the deity, intimate devotional posture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective and instructive","suggested_raga":"Tōḍi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, measured, meditative"}
FAQs
It reflects a widespread Purāṇic synthesis of philosophical categories—especially the triad of guṇas—used as a concise explanatory model for manifestation and human disposition, aligning Purāṇic teaching with broader classical Indian philosophical discourse.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the content is doctrinal rather than tied to sacred geography or a specific heritage site.
The verse frames ethical life (dharma) and liberation (mokṣa) as aims requiring dhairya (steadfastness), articulated as a disciplined orientation of the practitioner amid the dynamics of the three guṇas.
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