Varaha Purana 7.29 — Adhyaya 7, Shloka 29
The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu
Gadādhara
रैभ्य उवाच । गदाधरं विबुधजनैरभिष्टुतं धृतक्ष्ममं क्षुधितजनार्त्तिनाशनम् । शिवं विशालासुरसैन्यमर्दनं नमाम्यहं हतसकलाशुभं स्मृतौ ॥ ७.२९ ॥
raibhya uvāca | gadādharaṁ vibudhajanair abhiṣṭutaṁ dhṛtakṣamam kṣudhita-janārtti-nāśanam | śivaṁ viśālā-sura-sainya-mardanaṁ namāmy ahaṁ hata-sakalāśubhaṁ smṛtau || 7.29 ||
ライビヤは言った。「智者と神々の群れに讃えられる棍棒の担い手ガダーダラに、我は礼拝する。大地を支え、飢える者の苦悩を滅する御方。吉祥にして、広大なるアスラ軍を粉砕する御方——その御名を憶念するだけで、あらゆる不吉は滅び去る。」
Raibhya
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"What is the saving power of Hari’s remembrance? स्मृतौ—mere recollection destroys all inauspiciousness."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Implied same tīrtha of Gadādhara’s presence (name not given in excerpt)","parikrama_context":"Stotra functions as portable ‘parikramā of speech’: devotees can ‘circle’ the deity through repeated praise even beyond the site.","krishna_connection":"Hari/Gadādhara epithets are pan-Vaiṣṇava; in Mathurā setting they naturally harmonize with later Kṛṣṇa-bhakti without explicit mention."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"nāma-smaraṇa efficacy","core_concept":"Smṛti (remembrance) of Bhagavān is intrinsically purifying—hat-sakala-aśubha—independent of external complexity.","practical_application":"Adopt regular remembrance/recitation, especially in times of hunger, fear, or social distress; pair devotion with compassionate feeding (annadāna) in the spirit of ‘kṣudhita-janārti-nāśana’."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: Bhakti
Secondary Rasa: Vira
Type: tīrtha
Related Themes: 7.7.30 (expands epithets: Puruṣa, Trivikrama, Bali-hanan)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Raibhya’s stotra: Gadādhara stands radiant, praised by devas and sages; he supports the earth, relieves the hungry, crushes asura armies; remembrance dispels inauspiciousness.","item_prompts":["Gadādhara with mace","assemblies of devas/ṛṣis offering flowers","Earth personified or globe motif indicating ‘dhṛta-kṣmām’","scene of feeding/relief to hungry","asura army subdued in the background","radiant aura symbolizing purifying remembrance"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: multi-register composition—upper devas/ṛṣis praising, central Gadādhara with gadā, lower band showing hungry relieved and asuras defeated; bold colors and stylized faces.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic Gadādhara central with gold-leaf aura; small narrative panels around (asura-mardana, annadāna); heavy ornamentation and symmetrical devotees.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant central deity with subtle narrative vignettes in corners; emphasis on calm auspiciousness (‘śivam’) despite martial power.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic battlefield softened by landscape; Gadādhara towering yet benevolent; delicate depiction of sages praising and the hungry being helped."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"exalted hymn of protection and auspiciousness","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"sonorous and emphatic on ‘mardanaṃ’, then tender on ‘kṣudhita-janārti-nāśanam’"}
FAQs
It preserves a standard Purāṇic stotra-style formula that links divine kingship to social welfare (relief of hunger) and cosmic stability (support of the earth), reflecting how Purāṇic texts integrate political-ethical ideals with mythic theology.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; its imagery is pan-cosmic (earth-support, conflict with asuras) rather than tied to a particular tīrtha or region.
The verse foregrounds an ethical ideal of alleviating human suffering—especially hunger—alongside maintaining worldly order, presenting protection and welfare as key virtues associated with the praised figure.
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