Varaha Purana 70.6: Adhyaya 70, Shloka 6
Nārāyaṇa as the Sacrificial Principle, Analysis of the Three Guṇas, and the Account of Delusion-Doctrines
Pūrva Bhāga · Rudra-Śiva Stuti / Devatā-nāma-saṃgraha (thematic praise and epithets)
महादेवो विरूपाक्षस्त्र्यम्बको नीललोहितः । सोऽपि रौद्रे स्थितः स्थाने बभूव परमेश्वरः ॥ ७०.६ ॥
mahādevo virūpākṣas tryambako nīlalohitaḥ | so 'pi raudre sthitaḥ sthāne babhūva parameśvaraḥ || 70.6 ||
mahAdevo virUpAkShastryambako nIlalohitaH | so.api raudre sthitaH sthAne babhUva parameshvaraH || 70.6 ||
महादेव के काम नाम हैं विरूपाक्ष, त्रिंबक और नीललोहित। वो रुद्र रूप में खड़ा था। उस जगह पर वो परमेश्वर बन गया।
Sandhi Notes
- महादेवो→महादेवः
- विरूपाक्षस्त्र्यम्बको→विरूपाक्षः त्र्यम्बकः
- सोऽपि→सः अपि
Varāha
Awed, seeking reconciliation of divine identities
How can Mahādeva in Rudra-form be spoken of as Parameśvara within this narrative—what is the identity of the Supreme?
Parameśvara can be spoken of through Rudra-epithets; supreme reality is not confined to one iconographic label.
Cultivate ekāgratā on the Supreme while respecting diverse divine forms; read epithets as pointers to attributes (omniscience, lordship) rather than sectarian boundaries.
By listing Rudra epithets and calling him Parameśvara, the text signals a Purāṇic strategy: the Supreme is one, appearing as multiple iconic forms; the sacrificial cosmos can reveal that unity.
Indirect: Rudra ‘in his station’ (rāudra-sthāna) parallels the idea of cosmic stations within yajña; the Supreme pervades and can ‘become’ manifest in a chosen form at the rite.
Eka-tattva reading: names/forms (nāma-rūpa) differ, but Parameśvara is the underlying reality; supports a harmonizing Hari-Hara or inclusive theism interpretation.
70.70.5 (Vṛṣabhadhvaja arrival) clarified here by Rudra epithets and Parameśvara designation
FAQs
It preserves a compact list of Śiva/Rudra epithets (Mahādeva, Virūpākṣa, Tryambaka, Nīlalohita), reflecting Purāṇic-era strategies of cataloguing divine names for liturgical memory and inter-sectarian textual continuity.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on divine epithets and the notion of a specific 'station/state' (sthāna) of Rudra.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse conveys a philosophical instruction about recognizing multiple epithets/forms as referring to a single supreme principle (parameśvara), a common Purāṇic approach to theological unity.
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