Varaha Purana 113.23: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 23
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
Pūrva Bhāga · Avatāra Reminiscence (Rāma and Vāmana References)
पुनश्च रावणो रक्षः क्षयितं स्वेन तेजसा ॥ बलिश्च बद्धो भगवन् त्वया वामनरूपिणा
punaśca rāvaṇo rakṣaḥ kṣayitaṃ svena tejasā || baliśca baddho bhagavan tvayā vāmanarūpiṇā
punashcha rAvaNo rakShaH kShayitaM svena tejasA || balishcha baddho bhagavantvayA vAmanarUpiNA
फिर रावण राक्षस तुम्हारी अपनी ताकत से खत्म हो गया। और बलि को भी तुमने वामन बन के बाँध दिया, भगवान।
Sandhi Notes
- punaśca → punaḥ + ca
- baliśca → baliḥ + ca
- vāmanarūpiṇā → vāmana-rūpiṇā
Pṛthivī
Reassured by repeated removal of oppressive forces; devotional remembrance
Tejas of the Lord subdues adharmic domination; surrender (even when compelled, as Bali) becomes a pivot toward grace and order.
Temper ambition with humility; practice dāna with discernment and devotion; accept limits as dharmic guidance.
Kings who overreach (Rāvaṇa by hubris; Bali by overextension despite generosity) are restrained to re-establish rightful cosmic sovereignty.
Hubris invites destruction; even virtuous generosity must align with dharma—otherwise binding/limitation follows for cosmic balance.
Vāmana-Trivikrama and Rāma narratives are part of the avatāra continuum that later frames Kṛṣṇa’s līlā.
Earth’s sequential listing of avatāras before posing her cosmological question (vv. 26–27)
FAQs
It compresses multiple major narrative cycles (Rāma/Rāvaṇa; Vāmana/Bali) into a catalog, useful for studying how Purāṇas create a unified moral history.
No specific terrestrial location is named in this verse; it references persons and actions rather than a pilgrimage geography.
The verse emphasizes restraint of violent or overreaching sovereignty and the re-establishment of proportional order.
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