Varaha Purana 163.8: Adhyaya 163, Shloka 8
The Greatness of Kapila-Varāha: The Efficacy of Vaikuṇṭha Tīrtha and the Installation History of the Varāha Image
Uttara Bhāga (traditional classification) · Tīrtha-māhātmya (public inquiry; divine test motif)
किमेतत्किमिति प्राहुर्धारा प्रति वसुन्धरे ॥ देवो ब्राह्मणरूपेण लोकान्सर्वान् हि पृच्छति ॥
kim etat kim iti prāhur dhārā prati vasundhare || devo brāhmaṇarūpeṇa lokān sarvān hi pṛcchati ||
kimetatkimiti prAhurdhArA prati vasundhare || devo brAhmaNarUpeNa lokAnsarvAn hi pRRichChati
सब लोग बोलने लगे कि यह क्या हो रहा है, यह बाह क्यों है। एक देवता ब्राह्मण का रूप धर के सब से सवाल कर रहा था।
Sandhi Notes
- किमेतत् = kim + etat
- प्राहुर्धारा = prāhuḥ + dhārā
- लोकान्सर्वान् = lokān + sarvān.
Varāha
Attentive/curious (as addressee Vasundharā)
What is this phenomenon, and why did the blood-stream behave this way?
Divinity may appear in ordinary guise to provoke inquiry; dharma is clarified through questioning and communal testimony.
When confronted with moral-ritual anomalies, ask causes (kāraṇa) and seek principled explanation rather than superstition or gossip.
Addressing Earth as Vasundharā while narrating the inquiry.
Varāha Purāṇa 163.9 (explicit causal question)
FAQs
It reflects a widespread South Asian narrative device: the divine appears incognito to elicit testimony and establish a site’s renown through communal witness.
No new location is named; the inquiry pertains to the previously mentioned Vaikuṇṭha-tīrtha context.
The verse values careful inquiry and truthful reporting about causes and outcomes, framing collective observation as part of moral discernment.
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