Varaha Purana 46.9: Adhyaya 46, Shloka 9
The Rite of the Āṣāḍha Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Fast and the Installation (Nyāsa) of the Fourfold Manifestation
पृथिवी देवसमितौ मया दृष्टा यदूत्तम । गत्वा च जल्पती भारं न शक्ताऽऽहितुं सुराः ॥ ४६.९ ॥
pṛthivī devasamitau mayā dṛṣṭā yadūttama | gatvā ca jalpatī bhāraṃ na śaktā ūhituṃ surāḥ || 46.9 ||
おおヤドゥ族の最勝者よ、私は神々の集会において大地を見た。そこへ赴いた彼女は苦悩を語り、神々はその重荷を担い耐えることができなかった。
Varāha (default dialogue framework; instructor-narrator voice addressing a Yadu-descendant interlocutor)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"earth_interaction":"Earth is seen in deva-sabhā speaking of her burden; interaction is observational/reporting rather than Varāha lifting her here."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"Burdened, distressed, petitioning in the gods’ assembly","key_question":"How can the unbearable burden upon Earth be removed when even the gods cannot bear/carry it?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Implicit: Earth’s burden motif commonly precipitates Vishnu’s descent (often as Krishna) to relieve her; this verse sets that cosmic premise."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Bhū as the support of beings becomes 'overburdened' by adharma; the avatāra principle is the cosmic rebalancing where the Lord assumes the weight the devas cannot—anticipating Varāha’s archetype of bearing/lifting Earth.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit in this śloka; only the thematic seed: Earth as load (bhāra) and divine intervention as 'bearing' and 'raising'.","vedantic_connection":"Dharma-restoration as līlā within īśvara-sṛṣṭi: when cosmic order tilts, the Lord manifests to re-establish sattva and equilibrium; Earth’s plea functions as the world’s suffering presented to the Absolute."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmic ethics / dharma-restoration","core_concept":"When adharma accumulates, the world-system itself signals distress; limited powers (even devas) cannot resolve systemic imbalance without the Supreme’s intervention.","practical_application":"Treat ecological/social 'burden' as a dharmic indicator; seek root-cause correction (adharma reduction) rather than merely shifting the load among institutions."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics","Ecological Narratives","Divine Assembly (Deva-sabhā)"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Cosmic/celestial court
Related Themes: Connects to the announced 'devakārya' (46.46.8) and motivates subsequent remedial action in the narrative.
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a luminous celestial hall, Earth personified stands or kneels before the assembled gods, speaking of her crushing burden; the gods appear strained or helpless, underscoring the gravity of the crisis.","item_prompts":["Bhū-devī personified (earth-toned garments)","deva-sabhā with Indra and other devas","gesture of petition/complaint","visual motif of 'burden' (mountain/weights/demons as shadow)","celestial architecture and clouds"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: grand deva-sabhā tableau; Bhū-devī in the foreground with pleading mudrā; devas in tiered rows; dramatic contrast to show distress.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate celestial court with gold-leaf pillars; Bhū-devī with halo; devas richly adorned; symbolic weight motif rendered as dark cloud behind Earth.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined assembly scene with balanced composition; emphasize facial expressions—Earth’s strain, devas’ concern; soft celestial lighting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: court-in-the-clouds aesthetic; delicate figures; Bhū-devī’s lament central; stylized mountains/weights as metaphorical backdrop."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Grave, plaintive, cosmic","suggested_raga":"Todi (weight and pathos)","pace":"Slow, with heavy emphasis on 'bhāram' and 'na śaktā'","voice_tone":"Deep, compassionate, slightly solemn to convey crisis"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative unit: Earth personified approaches the gods to report an unsustainable burden, framing later restorative action (pṛthivī-uddhāra) within a cosmic political assembly (devasamiti).
No specific terrestrial location is named in this verse; the setting is the devasamitī (the gods’ assembly), a cosmological rather than geographic locus.
The verse foregrounds the idea of limits to “burden-bearing,” supporting an ecological-ethical reading: when the world’s load becomes excessive, responsible governance and corrective action are implied rather than continued extraction or neglect.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.