Varaha Purana 32.23 — Adhyaya 32, Shloka 23
Dharma as the Bull-Form: Soma’s Transgression and the Institution of the Thirteenth Lunar Day Observance
चतुष्पादो भवान् देव चतुःशृङ्गस्त्रिलोचनः । सप्तहस्तस्त्रिबन्धश्च वृषरूप नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ ३२.२४ ॥
catuṣpādo bhavān deva catuḥśṛṅgas trilocanaḥ | saptahastas tribandhaś ca vṛṣarūpa namo’stu te || 32.24 ||
O Deva, du bist vierfüßig; vierhörnig und dreiäugig. Du bist siebenhändig und mit drei Gelenken/Banden versehen; o du in Stiergestalt, dir sei Verehrung.
Pṛthivī (default, as the inquirer offering praise within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"Not boar-specific here; a Vṛṣa (bull) / yajña-animal style description: four-footed, four-horned, three-eyed, seven-handed, three-banded/jointed.","earth_interaction":"Bhū-devī offers stuti, recognizing the Lord in a symbolic, cosmic-animal form (yajña-coded iconography)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"awed (adbhuta) and reverent","key_question":"None (praise through symbolic iconographic identifiers)."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"A classic yajña-cosmology code: the Lord is praised as the sacrificial/cosmic animal (vṛṣa-rūpa), whose ‘limbs’ correspond to Vedic structures and cosmic functions; within Varāha Purāṇa this dovetails with Yajña-Varāha theology (the avatāra as embodiment of sacrifice and world-order).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Four feet = four Vedas or four āśramas; four horns = four aims (dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa) or four Vedas; three eyes = triad of time (past-present-future) or sun-moon-fire; seven hands = seven meters/notes/ritvik functions; three bands/joints = three guṇas or three worlds—interpretations vary by tradition, but all signal cosmic-yajña mapping.","vedantic_connection":"The many-limbed cosmic form points to the one Brahman/Īśvara appearing as structured multiplicity; ritual symbolism becomes a contemplative ladder from karma (yajña) to knowledge (recognition of the One)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"symbolic theology (yajña hermeneutics)","core_concept":"The divine can be contemplated through symbolic correspondences: cosmic order, ritual order, and the Lord’s form mirror one another.","practical_application":"Use symbolic meditation (dhyāna) on the Lord-as-yajña to integrate ritual duty with inner contemplation; read dharma (vṛṣa) as grounded in the divine."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Iconography","Theology (descriptive, non-sectarian)","Literary Praise (Stuti)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti (stuti)
Type: iconographic-theological
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa’s broader Yajña-Varāha descriptions and stutis where cosmic correspondences are elaborated
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhū-devī praises a wondrous, symbolic ‘bull-form’ of the Lord: a composite cosmic-yajña being with four horns, three eyes, and multiple arms, radiating sacred geometry-like order.","item_prompts":["composite vṛṣa (bull) body with divine face","four horns clearly visible","three eyes (forehead eye plus two)","seven arms holding ritual/cosmic emblems (ladle, conch, discus, lotus, rosary, scripture, flame)","three bands across torso signifying triads"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized composite vṛṣa-form with ornate patterns, seven arms symmetrically arranged, strong tri-band markings, Bhū-devī in añjali at lower corner.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavily ornamented composite form with gold-leaf horns and halo, embossed jewelry, seven arms with iconic attributes, tri-band chest motif in raised work.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant composite anatomy, refined detailing of horns/eyes, soft luminous shading, ritual implements delicately painted, devotional balance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: imaginative composite bull-divinity with delicate line, pastel cosmic background, simplified seven-arm arrangement, Bhū-devī small and reverent, emphasis on wonder."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-filled stuti","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"resonant, slightly heightened on numerals/epithets (catuṣpāda, catuḥśṛṅga, trilocana, saptahasta)"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic literary feature: stuti (formal praise) using compact iconographic epithets. Such verses are valuable for tracing the development of symbolic divine anatomy and descriptive theology in early medieval Sanskrit literature.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on iconographic description rather than sacred geography.
The verse primarily conveys a philosophical posture of reverential address (namo’stu te) rather than an explicit ethical rule; it models humility and attentive recognition of the described figure’s attributes.
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