Varaha Purana 73.17 — Adhyaya 73, Shloka 17

Rudra’s Hymn: Vision of Nārāyaṇa, the Emergence of the Ādityas, and the Mutual Boon of Hari and Hara

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच । नमोऽस्त्वनन्ताय विशुद्धचेतसे सरूपरूपाय सहस्रबाहवे । सहस्ररश्मिप्रवराय वेधसे विशालदेहाय विशुद्धकर्मिणे ॥ ७३.१७ ॥

Transliteration

rudra uvāca | namo 'stv anantāya viśuddha-cetase sarūpa-rūpāya sahasra-bāhave | sahasra-raśmi-pravarāya vedhase viśāla-dehāya viśuddha-karmiṇe || 73.17 ||

Translation

Rudra sprach: „Ehrerbietung dem Unendlichen, dessen Bewusstsein rein ist; dem, der zugleich Gestalt hat und jenseits der Gestalt ist, dem Tausendarmigen; dem Schöpfer (Vedhas), dem Vorzüglichsten unter den Tausendstrahligen; dem von gewaltigem Leib, dessen Handeln makellos ist.“

Word by Word

• rudra uvāca: Rudra said

• namaḥ astu: homage be

• anantāya: to the Infinite

• viśuddha-cetase: to one whose mind/consciousness is pure

• sarūpa-rūpāya: to one who has form and (also) transcends/varies as form

• sahasra-bāhave: to the thousand-armed

• sahasra-raśmi: thousand-rayed

• pravarāya: foremost/excellent

• vedhase: to the Ordainer/Creator

• viśāla-dehāya: to the vast-bodied

• viśuddha-karmiṇe: to one whose deeds are pure/stainless

Speaker

Rudra

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"attentive","key_question":"What are the defining attributes of the Supreme who is both with form and beyond form, and how can language honor that paradox?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The stotra’s ‘sarūpa-arūpa’ (with-form/without-form) and ‘sahasrabāhu’ (thousand-armed) encode the cosmic body (viśvarūpa) doctrine: the Absolute is transcendent yet immanent in manifold powers.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit viśvarūpa mapping: ‘thousand rays’ evokes solar/ṛta order; ‘vast body’ evokes the sacrificial cosmos (puruṣa/yajña) though not itemized.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges nirguṇa and saguṇa: the Infinite (ananta) is not limited by form, yet is approachable through form; aligns with Upaniṣadic paradox-language and Gītā viśvarūpa theology."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of immanence/transcendence","core_concept":"The Supreme is simultaneously approachable (form) and ungraspable (beyond form); purity of mind is the fitting mode of approach.","practical_application":"Hold a dual practice: personal-form devotion with remembrance of the formless Infinite; cultivate viśuddha-citta through ethical purity and meditation."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Theology (Attributes of the Supreme)","Philosophical Praise (Stotra)","Cosmology (Creator imagery)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic-theological register

Cross References

Related Themes: 73.73.18-19 (continuation of epithets)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Rudra stands in reverence, offering a stotra to an immense, radiant, vast-bodied Supreme who is both manifest and unmanifest, suggested through layered iconography.","item_prompts":["Rudra with matted hair and trident (as speaker)","colossal luminous deity silhouette (form + formless aura)","thousand-armed suggestion (multiplicity of arms as radiating motifs)","sun-ray corona (sahasra-raśmi)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Rudra in profile with añjali, towering central deity with multiple arms stylized as rhythmic arcs, intense halo, bold sacred geometry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf radiance for ‘thousand rays’, embossed multi-armed icon, Rudra at lower corner in devotion, ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined multi-armed depiction with soft glow, subtle suggestion of formlessness via translucent aura, Rudra rendered with calm bhāva.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic scale contrast—small Rudra before vast luminous presence, delicate rays, minimalistic background emphasizing transcendence."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic and awestruck","suggested_raga":"Śaṅkarābharaṇam (or Bilawal)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"sonorous, elevated, with clear articulation of epithets"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Sanskrit
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Hymnology
• Philosophy of Form/Non-form

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a Purāṇic stotra-style passage where a major Vedic-Purāṇic figure (Rudra) praises the supreme principle using layered epithets, reflecting the period’s synthesis of devotional hymnody with philosophical vocabulary.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the focus is on divine attributes rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the ideal of viśuddhi (purity)—purified consciousness and stainless action—as exemplary qualities attributed to the praised principle, implicitly valuing ethical integrity and mental clarity.