Varaha Purana 9.7: Adhyaya 9, Shloka 7
The Sequence of Creation, the Emergence of the Praṇava, and the Fish Incarnation’s Retrieval of the Vedas
Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmogony and Theological Identity (Prakṛti–Śūnya–Mūrti)
जगत्प्रणवतो भूतं शून्यमेतत्स्थितं तदा । येयं मूर्तिर्भगवतः शंकरः स स्वयं हरिः ॥ ९.७ ॥
jagat praṇavato bhūtaṃ śūnyam etat sthitaṃ tadā | yeyaṃ mūrtir bhagavataḥ śaṅkaraḥ sa svayaṃ hariḥ || 9.7 ||
jagat praNavato bhUtaM shUnyametat sthitaM tadA | yeyaM mUrtirbhagavataH shaMkaraH sa svayaM hariH || 9.7 ||
उस वक्त पूरा ब्रह्मांड खाली था, जैसे ओम शब्द से भी पहले कुछ नहीं था। भगवान की जो शक्ति है, वो शंकर है। वो खुद हरि है।
Sandhi Notes
- jagat praṇavataḥ: treated as separate padas
- yeyaṃ resolved as yā + iyam
- etat sthitam kept separate
Varāha
From praṇava arises the cosmos; when manifestation is withdrawn it appears void, yet the one Bhagavat remains—Śaṅkara and Hari are not ultimately different.
Reduce sectarian antagonism through contemplative recognition of one divine reality; use Oṃ-centered meditation to rest in the substratum beyond form while honoring forms as pedagogical.
The universe, born of praṇava, is described as standing as ‘void’ (śūnya) at a certain cosmogonic/pralaya juncture, while asserting deity-nonduality: the Bhagavat’s form is Śaṅkara, and that very one is Hari—integrating Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava identity within the praṇava-grounded absolute.
Praṇava as the sacrificial seed from which the cosmos arises and into which it can appear ‘empty’ when names/forms withdraw; deity-identity mirrors yajña’s principle that one reality is invoked by many names in different ritual contexts.
Nondual theism: apparent voidness is a mode of manifestation/withdrawal, not nihilism; Hari-Śaṅkara identity points to ekam sat expressed through sectarian forms, with Oṃ as its sonic sign.
Varāha Purāṇa 9.9.5 (Oṃ and lokas); Varāha Purāṇa 9.9.6 (threaded order and dissolution)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic tendency to articulate cosmogony through the concept of praṇava (Oṃ) and to present theological reconciliation by identifying Śaṅkara and Hari, illustrating inter-sectarian synthesis within Sanskrit narrative traditions.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is cosmological and theological rather than topographical.
Rather than a direct ethical injunction, the verse conveys a philosophical instruction: ultimate reality is expressed through praṇava and divine forms may be presented as non-dual or mutually inclusive, encouraging interpretive coherence across divine epithets.
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