Varaha Purana 1.17: Adhyaya 1, Shloka 17
Praise of Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Foundational Questions
उन्मीलितास्यस्तु यदा महात्मा दृष्टो धरण्याऽमलसर्वगात्र्या । तावत्स्वरूपेण चतुर्भुजेन महोदधौ सुप्तमथोऽन्वपश्यत् ॥ १.१८ ॥
unmīlitāsyas tu yadā mahātmā dṛṣṭo dharaṇyā ’malasarvagātryā | tāvat svarūpeṇa caturbhujena mahodadhau suptam atho ’nvapaśyat || 1.18 ||
जब भगवान ने आँखें खोली, धरती ने उन्हे देखा। उसका पूरा शरीर साफ था। चार हाथ वाला रूप लेकर वोह बड़े समुंदर पे सोया था।
Narrator (implicit); default dialogue frame: Pṛthivī observing Varāha
FAQs
It exemplifies a standard Purāṇic narrative technique: a cosmological scene framed through personified Earth (Dharaṇī/Pṛthivī), establishing the Varāha cycle that later became influential in Vaiṣṇava iconography and medieval temple programs.
No terrestrial site is named; the setting is the cosmic ocean (mahodadhi), a common Purāṇic cosmographic motif rather than a specific, mappable location.
The verse primarily conveys a philosophical theme rather than a direct injunction: the Earth is depicted as inherently pure and observant, and the scene prepares the broader narrative of restoration and protection of the world as a cultural-ethical ideal.
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