Varaha Purana 1.20: Adhyaya 1, Shloka 20

Praise of Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Foundational Questions

Pūrva Bhāga · Prithvī-Uddhāra (Invocation & Praise)

Devanagari script

शेषपर्यङ्कशयने धृतवक्षःस्थलश्रिये । नमस्ते सर्वदेवेश नमस्ते मोक्षकारिणे ॥ १.२१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 1.20

Transliteration

śeṣaparyaṅkaśayane dhṛtavakṣaḥsthalaśriye | namaste sarvadeveśa namaste mokṣakāriṇe || 1.21 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ उसको जो शेष पर लेटा है। लक्ष्मी उसकी छाती पर है। मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ सब भगवानों के स्वामी को। मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ उसको जो मुक्ति देता है।

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Word by Word

• śeṣa-paryaṅka-śayane: on the couch/bed of Śeṣa
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; tatpuruṣa: śeṣasya paryaṅkaḥ (genitive) + tasmin śayane (locative)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + paryaṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + śayana (प्रातिपदिक)

• dhṛta-vakṣaḥ-sthala-śriye: to (you) whose chest bears Śrī
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; tatpuruṣa: dhṛtā śrīḥ yasmin vakṣaḥsthale (locative relation internal)
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: dhṛta (कृदन्त; √dhṛ धातु) + vakṣas (प्रातिपदिक) + sthala (प्रातिपदिक) + śrī (प्रातिपदिक)

• namaḥ: salutation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable interjection); used in salutation
• Role: Sambodhana/Prayojana (सम्बोधन/प्रयोजन)
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)

• te: to you
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronoun, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)

• sarva-deva-īśa: O Lord of all gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; tatpuruṣa: sarveṣāṁ devānām īśaḥ
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)

• namaḥ: salutation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable interjection); repetition for emphasis
• Role: Sambodhana/Prayojana (सम्बोधन/प्रयोजन)
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)

• te: to you
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronoun, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)

• mokṣa-kāriṇe: to the giver of liberation
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; tatpuruṣa: mokṣaṁ karoti iti kārī
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kārin (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• śeṣaparyaṅkaśayane = śeṣa-paryaṅka-śayane
• dhṛtavakṣaḥsthalaśriye = dhṛta-vakṣaḥ-sthala-śriye
• namaste = namaḥ te (visarga sandhi)

Speaker and setting

Bhakti and Shanta rasaSetting: Iconic theophany setting

Speaker

Pṛthivī

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She worships

Her state of mind

Reverent, seeking refuge and liberation; implicitly burdened yet hopeful

What she asks

How does the Lord who bears Śrī and rules all gods grant mokṣa to beings (and relieve cosmic burden)?

The teaching

Path

Soteriology

Subjects

Theology (Purāṇic invocation)Philosophy (mokṣa concept)Vaishnava iconography

Core idea

Liberation is granted by the Lord who is both sovereign (sarva-deveśa) and gracious (Śrī-vakṣasthala).

In practice

Approach dharma and vrata as means of cultivating surrender (śaraṇāgati) and receptivity to grace, aiming ultimately at mokṣa rather than only worldly fruits.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Earth continues direct praise, focusing on ananta-śayana iconography and mokṣa-bestowal—setting the theological basis for later Varāha intervention.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a standard Purāṇic invocatory style that frames the narrative with praise of a supreme deity, reflecting shared Sanskrit literary conventions and Vaiṣṇava devotional iconography (Śeṣa-couch, Śrī on the chest).

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily iconographic and doctrinal (Śeṣa-śayana, Śrī-vakṣaḥsthala, mokṣa).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Rather than an explicit ethical rule, the verse foregrounds a philosophical orientation: reverence toward the cosmic preserver and acknowledgment of liberation (mokṣa) as a central human aim in Purāṇic discourse.