Varaha Purana 113.42: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 42
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
Pūrva Bhāga · Jyotiḥcakra and Dhruva: Cosmic Order
सग्रहा ये च नक्षत्रा कला कालमुहूर्त्तकाः॥ ज्योतिष्चक्रं ध्रुवश्चासि सर्वेषु द्योतते भवान्
sagrahā ye ca nakṣatrā kalā kāla-muhūrttakāḥ || jyotiṣ-cakraṃ dhruvaś cāsi sarveṣu dyotate bhavān
sagrahA ye cha nakShatrA kalA kAlamuhUrttakAH || jyotishchakraM dhruvashchA.asi sarveShu dyotate bhavAn
ग्रहों में भी तुम हो, सितारों में भी तुम हो। टाइम का हिसाब, कला, काल, मुहूरत, सब तुम ही हो। तुम ही वो ज्योति का चक्र हो। तुम ध्रुव हो। सबमें तुम ही चमक रहे हो।
Sandhi Notes
- सग्रहा = स + ग्रहाः
- ज्योतिष्चक्रं = ज्योतिः + चक्रम्
- ध्रुवश्चासि = ध्रुवः + च + असि
Pṛthivī
Awed, assured by divine stability
‘If all lights and time-divisions move, what is the unmoving pivot and the universal radiance within them?’ (answered by identifying him as Dhruva and the wheel of lights).
The Lord is both the moving order (cakra) and the unmoving ground (Dhruva) that shines through all.
In instability, meditate on the ‘Dhruva’ principle—steadfastness in dharma and devotion—while engaging the world’s cycles without losing center.
Direct address: Pṛthivī identifies the Lord as ‘jyotiṣ-cakra’ and ‘Dhruva,’ affirming his sustaining presence across cosmic lights and time.
Calling the Lord ‘jyotiṣ-cakra’ (wheel of lights) and ‘Dhruva’ (fixed pole) encodes the idea of a changeless center (Brahman/Viṣṇu) around which changing phenomena (kāla, grahas, nakṣatras) revolve; the avatāra identity is implicit as Viṣṇu addressed by Earth.
The ‘wheel of lights’ parallels the cakra of ṛta in yajña: ordered recurrence; Dhruva functions like the fixed yūpa/pillar anchoring the cosmic rite while luminaries circle as offerings of light.
Nitya (unchanging) substratum vs. anitya (changing) appearances; antaryāmin as the ‘shining in all’ (sarveṣu dyotate) motif.
Varāha Purāṇa 113.45, 113.47–49 (same stotra-like enumeration)
FAQs
It links traditional astronomical concepts (the luminary wheel and Dhruva as a fixed reference) with a Purāṇic theological style that interprets cosmic order as pervaded by a single principle.
No earthly location is named; the reference is to celestial orientation (Dhruva) rather than terrestrial geography.
By portraying regular cosmic cycles as pervaded by a unifying principle, the verse supports an ethic of respect for natural order, though it does not state a direct moral command.
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