Varaha Purana 70.2: Adhyaya 70, Shloka 2
Nārāyaṇa as the Sacrificial Principle, Analysis of the Three Guṇas, and the Account of Delusion-Doctrines
Pūrva Bhāga · Bhakti–Dharma (Hari-ārādhana and the aim of human pursuits)
अनाराध्य हरिं भक्त्या को लोकान् कामयेद् बुधः । आराधिते हरौ लोकाः सर्वे करतलेऽभवन् ॥ ७०.२ ॥
anārādhya hariṃ bhaktyā ko lokān kāmayed budhaḥ | ārādhite harau lokāḥ sarve karatale 'bhavan || 70.2 ||
anArAdhya hariM bhaktyA ko lokAn kAmayed budhaH | ArAdhite harau lokAH sarve karatale.abhavan || 70.2 ||
हरि को भक्ति से पूजा किए बिना कोई समझदार इंसान दूसरी दुनिया की इच्छा कैसे करेगा? जब हरि की पूजा होती है, सारी दुनिया हाथ की तलवी पर आ जाती है।
Sandhi Notes
- करतलेऽभवन् → करतले + अभवन् (अ + अ → ’)
- कामयेद् → कामयेत् + (द्) छन्दसि/पदान्त-रूप (final t → d before voiced)
Varāha
Curious, receptive to soteriological instruction
What is the point of desiring other worlds without first worshipping Hari with bhakti, and what does Hari-worship grant?
Īśvara-bhakti as the master-key: when Hari is worshipped, all ends (including lokas) are ‘in one’s palm’.
Prioritize daily devotion (smaraṇa, pūjā, nāma-japa) over mere merit-accumulation aimed at heaven; treat other goals as by-products of devotion.
Instructional address within the Varāha–Bhū dialogue frame: elevating bhakti to Hari as the means to all lokas.
Bhakti-centered soteriology: the Lord as the summum bonum; lokas as contingent attainments dependent on īśvara-prasāda.
Make bhakti to Hari the primary pursuit; other loka-attainments are secondary and become effortless when Hari is pleased.
With Hari worshipped, all desired lokas become accessible; without it, worldly/heavenly striving is portrayed as unwise and spiritually ungrounded.
Implicit Vaiṣṇava theism.
Varāha Purāṇa: recurring bhakti-mahātmyas where Hari-prasāda supersedes loka-kāmanā
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical strategy: framing devotion (bhakti) as a superior and comprehensive means compared to seeking merit through aspirational “worlds” (lokas), a theme widely attested across early medieval Sanskrit devotional literature.
No specific geographic or pilgrimage location is named in this verse; it discusses a general philosophical hierarchy of aims rather than sacred geography.
The verse prioritizes disciplined devotion to Hari over the pursuit of secondary rewards, presenting devotion as a practice that renders other goals comparatively unnecessary.
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