Varaha Purana 42.2: Adhyaya 42, Shloka 2
Ritual Procedure for the Phālguna Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Narasiṃha Worship, with the Narrative of King Vatsa
Pūrva Bhāga · Vaiṣṇava Devatā-aṅga-nyāsa / Iconographic Body-Invocation
नरसिंहाय पादौ तु गोविन्दायेत्युरू तथा । कटिं विश्वभुजे पूज्य अनिरुद्धेत्युरस्तथा ॥ ४२.२ ॥
narasiṁhāya pādau tu govindāyety-urū tathā | kaṭiṁ viśvabhuje pūjya aniruddhety-uras tathā || 42.2 ||
narasiMhAya pAdau tu govindAyetyurU tathA | kaTiM vishvabhuje pUjya aniruddhetyurastathA || 42.2 ||
नरसिंह के लिए पैर, गोविंद के लिए टाँगें। विश्वभुज के लिए कमर, अनिरुद्ध के लिए छाती, ऐसे पूजा करनी है।
Sandhi Notes
- गोविन्दायेत्युरू = गोविन्दाय + इति + ऊरू
- अनिरुद्धेत्युरः = अनिरुद्ध + इति + उरः (पाठे ‘अनिरुद्धाय’ अपेक्षितम्; यहाँ चतुर्थी-अर्थे रूप-लोप/सन्धि-प्रयोगः)
Varāha
Devotion becomes stable when the divine is contemplated systematically in the body/limbs—order creates presence.
In pūjā or japa, use structured nyāsa to reduce distraction; associate divine qualities with bodily regions to internalize protection and remembrance.
The deity’s body is mapped onto mantras/names, turning the worshipper’s perception into a living maṇḍala; the cosmic Person is approached through ordered embodiment (aṅga-nyāsa).
Body-as-yajña-field: limbs become stations of invocation; names (Narasiṃha, Govinda, Viśvabhuja, Aniruddha) function like ritual placements (nyāsa) establishing divine presence.
Supports saguna-upāsanā: the One Brahman/Viṣṇu is contemplated through differentiated nāma-rūpa without losing unity; disciplined imagination (bhāvanā) as a means to steadiness of mind.
Perform a limb-assignment worship (nyāsa/aṅga-pūjā): feet as Narasiṃha, thighs as Govinda, waist as Viśvabhuja, chest as Aniruddha.
Correct nyāsa purifies worship and concentrates mind; incorrect/neglect weakens ritual efficacy.
Hari-pūjā with aṅga-nyāsa (as part of the Phālguna-śukla Dvādaśī observance)
Implied: enhanced merit and focused devotion through properly embodied worship.
Govinda-name is a strong Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu epithet; here used in nyāsa without explicit Mathurā narrative.
Varāha Purāṇa: adjacent verses continuing aṅga-pūjā assignments (42.42.3 etc.)
FAQs
It documents a ritual-technical practice (aṅga-nyāsa/mental placement of divine names on body parts) that reflects the integration of Vaiṣṇava theology with embodied liturgical discipline in Purāṇic transmission.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is primarily ritual and iconographic rather than topographical.
The verse emphasizes disciplined, respectful ritual attention—revering the body as a structured locus for contemplative practice through orderly invocation of divine epithets.
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