Varaha Purana 2.22: Adhyaya 2, Shloka 22
Cosmogony and the Ninefold Creation: Rudra’s Origin and the Prelude to the Sāvitrī-Veda Narrative
Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra and Supreme Principle (Nārāyaṇa-stuti)
नारायणः परोऽचिन्त्यः पराणामपि पूर्वजः । ब्रह्मस्वरूपी भगवाननादिः सर्वसम्भवः ॥ २.२२ ॥
nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’cintyaḥ parāṇām api pūrvajaḥ | brahmasvarūpī bhagavān anādiḥ sarvasaṃbhavaḥ || 2.22 ||
nArAyaNaH paro.achintyaH parANAmapi pUrvajaH | brahmasvarUpI bhagavAnanAdiH sarvasaMbhavaH || 2.22 ||
ನಾರಾಯಣನು ಪರಮನು, ಅಚಿಂತ್ಯನು, ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠರಿಗೂ ಪೂರ್ವಜನು; ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಸ್ವರೂಪಿಯಾದ ಅನಾದಿ ಭಗವಾನ್, ಎಲ್ಲದರ ಉದ್ಭವಕಾರಣನು.
Sandhi Notes
- परोऽचिन्त्यः → परः + अचिन्त्यः
- पराणामपि → पराणाम् + अपि
- भगवाननादिः → भगवान् + अनादिः
- ब्रह्मस्वरूपी → ब्रह्म-स्वरूपी
- सर्वसम्भवः → सर्व-सम्भवः
Varāha
Reverent, intellectually satisfied as the supreme principle is identified
The Supreme (Narayana) is inconceivable, beginningless, the very Brahman, and the ultimate source even of the highest beings.
Anchor devotion and contemplation in the ‘anadi’ source rather than in secondary cosmic agents; practice manana on achintya (limits of conceptualization) to deepen humility.
Varaha delivers a doctrinal climax to Earth: Narayana’s transcendence and causality; the interaction is direct theological instruction.
Explicit Brahman–Narayana identification: Narayana is ‘paro’ and ‘achintya,’ ‘brahma-svarupi,’ ‘anadi,’ and ‘sarva-sambhava’—a theistic Vedanta formulation where Brahman is personal as Bhagavan.
Strong doctrinal foreshadowing: Narayana as anadi sarva-sambhava provides the metaphysical basis for later Krishna-as-Bhagavan identifications in Vaishnava traditions, though not localized to Mathura here.
Sets up the cited ‘shloka’ in 2.2.23 and the broader cosmogonic exposition that follows.
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic doctrinal register that identifies Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu as the supreme, beginningless source of the cosmos, using philosophical terms such as acintya (beyond conceptualization) and brahmasvarūpī (of the nature of Brahman).
No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a theological-cosmological statement rather than a tīrtha (sacred geography) reference.
The verse primarily conveys a philosophical instruction: the ultimate principle is beyond ordinary cognition (acintya) and is the origin of all; ethically, it encourages intellectual humility and a cosmological perspective when interpreting dharma and narrative action.
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