Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 37

Varāha-avatāra: The Boar Incarnation Lifts the Earth and Slays Hiraṇyākṣa

Devanagari script

दीक्षानुजन्मोपसद: शिरोधरं त्वं प्रायणीयोदयनीयदंष्ट्र: । जिह्वा प्रवर्ग्यस्तव शीर्षकं क्रतो: सत्यावसथ्यं चितयोऽसवो हि ते ॥ ३७ ॥

Transliteration

dīkṣānujanmopasadaḥ śirodharaṁ tvaṁ prāyaṇīyodayanīya-daṁṣṭraḥ jihvā pravargyas tava śīrṣakaṁ kratoḥ satyāvasathyaṁ citayo ’savo hi te

Translation

Moreover, O Lord, Your repeated manifestation is the very source of dīkṣā and the upasad rites; Your neck is the śirodhara, the support of the head. Your tusks are the prāyaṇīya and udayanīya—fruit of initiation and its completion. Your tongue is the pravargya; Your head is the summit of the kratu; satyāvasathya are Your altars; and Your vital airs are the chiti fires—the aggregate of all sacrificial flames.

Synonyms

• dīkṣā-anujanma-upasadaḥ: dīkṣā, anujanma, and upasad rites
• dīkṣā-anujanma-upasadaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīkṣā + anu-janman + upasad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; द्वन्द्व-समासः (dīkṣā ca anujanma ca upasadaś ca)

• śirodharam: head-support (headpiece)
• śirodharam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः (śirasaḥ dhāraṇam)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Prathamā, Ekavacana

• prāyaṇīya-udayanīya-daṁṣṭraḥ: (your) tusks are the prāyaṇīya and udayanīya rites
• prāyaṇīya-udayanīya-daṁṣṭraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaṇīya + udayanīya + daṁṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः (prāyaṇīya-udayanīyayoḥ daṁṣṭrā)

• jihvā: tongue
• jihvā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jihvā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• pravargyaḥ: the pravargya rite
• pravargyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravargya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• śīrṣakam: head (top)
• śīrṣakam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīrṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kratoḥ: of the sacrifice
• kratoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• satya-avasathyam: the satyāvasathya rite
• satya-avasathyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya + avasathya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः (satyaṃ avasathyaṃ) / karmadhāraya nuance

• citayaḥ: altar constructions (citīs)
• citayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• asavaḥ: vital airs
• asavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (emphasis/for)

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

Characters & Entities

• Lord Varaha

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about Lord Varaha and yajna (sacrifice)?

This verse portrays Lord Varaha as yajna personified—His limbs correspond to major sacrificial rites—teaching that sacrifice ultimately rests in the Supreme Lord.

Why is Lord Varaha described as the form of Vedic rituals in Canto 3?

In the Varaha narrative, the sages glorify Him as the source and goal of Vedic sacrifice, showing that ritual gains its sanctity and power because it is connected to the Lord.

How can this teaching be applied in modern life without performing complex Vedic sacrifices?

Offer one’s work, speech, and daily duties as devotion to the Lord—keeping the purpose (pleasing Bhagavan) central rather than mere external form.