Varaha Purana 49.21: Adhyaya 49, Shloka 21
The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit
Pūrva Bhāga · Prāyaścitta–Gṛhya-vidhi (Household rite and protective observances)
अभ्यर्च्य स्वगृहं प्रायाद् भवन्तौ रक्षपालकौ । स्थाप्य द्वावपि दीपानां ज्वलनार्थं महामते ॥ ४९.२१ ॥
abhyarcya svagṛhaṃ prāyād bhavantau rakṣapālakau | sthāpya dvāv api dīpānāṃ jvalanārthaṃ mahāmati || 49.21 ||
abhyarchya svagRRihaM prAyAd bhavantau rakShapAlakau | sthApya dvAvapi dIpAnAM jvalanArthaM mahAmate || 49.21 ||
पूजा कर के वो घर वापस आता था। कहता था, तुम दोनों इस घर की हिफाजत करो। दो दिए जलाता था जो रात भर जलते रहते थे।
Sandhi Notes
- स्वगृहं = स्व + गृहम्
- ज्वलनार्थं = ज्वलन + अर्थम्
- महामते = महा + मते (सम्बोधन)
Varāha
Devotion extends beyond temple into daily life; protection is cultivated through disciplined, symbol-rich acts.
Create a simple home practice: designate protective intentions, keep a lamp lit during observances, and treat ritual as ethical mindfulness.
The two lamps can be read as sustaining dharma through ‘light’—knowledge and vigilance—guarding the household like divine sentinels; a microcosmic echo of cosmic order upheld by Viṣṇu.
Dīpa as agni-substitute in gṛhya-bhakti: continuous flame = continuous offering; guardianship parallels yajña’s protective enclosure (rakṣā).
Light as jñāna (prakāśa) that dispels avidyā; maintaining the lamp symbolizes steadiness (niṣṭhā) in devotion and ethical vigilance.
After worship, return home; appoint two protectors/guardians and install two lamps to keep them burning as part of a protective household rite.
Maintaining protective rites and sacred light supports household welfare and warding of harm; negligence implies vulnerability and loss of merit.
Protection (rakṣā), auspiciousness, and merit through sustaining sacred light.
Varāha Purāṇa 49.49.22 (night-long vigil with lamps)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic pattern of integrating domestic ritual procedure (gṛhya-like instructions) with protective symbolism, indicating how manuscript traditions preserved practical observances alongside narrative theology.
No explicit geographic toponym appears in this verse; the setting is domestic (svagṛha, “one’s own house”).
The verse emphasizes orderly, mindful completion of a rite—honoring protective agents and maintaining illumination (lamps) as a disciplined household practice associated with care, vigilance, and safeguarding.
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