Varaha Purana 192.8: Adhyaya 192, Shloka 8
Description of the Universal Peace-Recitation and the Madhuparka Rite
Uttara Bhāga · Rāṣṭra-śānti and Mantra-Prayoga (Protective Rite / Śānti-pāṭha)
शरणं त्वां गतो नाथ संसारार्णवतारक ॥ आगतस्त्वं च सुमुख पुनः समुचितेन वै ॥
śaraṇaṃ tvāṃ gato nātha saṃsārārṇava-tāraka || āgatas tvaṃ ca sumukha punaḥ samucitena vai ||
sharaNaM tvAM gato nAtha saMsArArNavatAraka || AgatastvaM cha sumukha punaH samuchitena vai
Zu dir bin ich als Zuflucht gegangen, o Herr, o Retter, der über den Ozean des weltlichen Daseins hinüberführt. Und du, o Gütiggesichtiger, bist wieder gekommen—wahrlich, in angemessener Weise.
Sandhi Notes
- संसारार्णवतारक = संसार-अर्णव-तारक (समास)
- आगतस्त्वं = आगतः त्वम् (विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि)
Varāha (instructional frame; mantra-voice may be reciter)
Seeking rescue; emotionally dependent on divine aid; tone of relieved gratitude that the Lord has 'come again'
How does one rightly take refuge in the Lord who ferries beings across saṃsāra, and how is his recurring descent understood as timely/appropriate grace?
Liberation is framed as being ferried across saṃsāra by the Lord; his 'coming again' signals timely, fitting compassion toward devotees/world.
Cultivate explicit refuge-prayer in crisis; interpret life’s supports and spiritual openings as occasions of divine 'arrival' and respond with renewed practice.
In the mantra-voice, the devotee declares refuge in the Lord as saṃsāra-tāraka; the Lord is praised as repeatedly arriving (āgataḥ) to save—implicitly including Varāha’s descent for Earth.
Saṃsāra as an ocean and the Lord as ferryman: Varāha’s salvific descent becomes a paradigm of grace that lifts Earth and beings from the depths.
Ocean-crossing imagery aligns with yajña as a 'bridge' (setu) to the beyond; the Lord’s 'arrival' is the descent of the saving principle into the ritual/world.
Īśvara as the upāya (means) and upeya (goal): surrender replaces self-reliance; repeated avatāra expresses compassionate governance of saṃsāra.
Implicit: the idea of the Lord 'coming again' can foreshadow recurring avatāras (including Kṛṣṇa), but no explicit Mathurā marker.
Expands the refuge-mantra of 192.7.0 with saṃsāra-ocean imagery.
FAQs
The metaphor of saṃsāra as an ocean is a widely shared classical trope; its presence here shows continuity between Purāṇic devotion and broader Sanskrit soteriological imagery.
No physical geography is specified; “ocean” functions as a metaphor for cyclic existence.
To adopt humility and seek protection through disciplined recitation, presenting liberation as guided passage rather than coercion.
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