Varaha Purana 35.3: Adhyaya 35, Shloka 3
The Account of Soma’s Decline and Restoration, and the Paurṇamāsī Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Genealogical–Mythic Narratives (Dakṣa–Soma episode)
तामेव रमते सोमो नेतराः इति शुश्रुमः । इतराः प्रोचुरागत्य दक्षस्यासमतां शशेः ॥ ३५.३ ॥
tām eva ramate somo netarā iti śuśrumaḥ | itarāḥ procūr āgatya dakṣasyāsamatāṃ śaśeḥ || 35.3 ||
tAmeva ramate somo netarA iti shushrumaH | itarAH prochurAgatya dakShasyAsamatAM shasheH || 35.3 ||
हमने सुना है कि सोम बस उस एक पत्नी के पास रहता है, बाकियों के पास नहीं जाता। बाकी पत्नियाँ दक्ष के पास गई और बोली कि सोम सबके साथ बराबर नहीं है।
Sandhi Notes
- नेतराः = न + इतराः
- प्रोचुरागत्य = प्रोचुः + आगत्य
- दक्षस्यासमताम् = दक्षस्य + असमताम्
Varāha
What happens when Soma shows partiality among his wives, and how is injustice reported and addressed?
Attachment produces injustice; social/cosmic harmony requires equitable regard and accountability mechanisms (complaint → adjudication).
In household and governance, prevent favoritism; create channels for grievance and respond with dharmic correction.
Soma’s ‘partiality’ allegorizes irregular lunar favor across nakṣatras—myth encoding perceived astronomical/ritual irregularities and the ethical demand that kāla be impartial for dharma to function.
When mind (candra/Soma) clings to one object (Rohiṇī), imbalance (doṣa) arises; discipline restores equilibrium—an ethical-psychological reading aligned with sāṃkhya-yoga sensibilities.
A ruler/patriarch must address partiality and uphold fairness when grievances are reported; unequal conduct invites censure and corrective action.
Partiality generates complaint and conflict, leading to reprimand/curse narratives in the broader Soma–Dakṣa cycle; fairness preserves harmony.
Varāha Purāṇa 35 (continuation: Dakṣa’s response and Soma’s consequence)
FAQs
It preserves a widely attested Purāṇic motif—Soma’s preference among Dakṣa’s daughters—used in Sanskrit narrative literature to frame discussions of social obligation, reciprocity, and the consequences of partiality.
No geographic site is named in this verse; it functions within a mythic-family narrative context rather than a sacred geography catalogue.
The verse foregrounds the social and moral problem of unequal treatment (asamatā), presenting grievance and appeal to authority (Dakṣa) as a narrative mechanism for addressing perceived injustice.
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