Varaha Purana 113.11: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 11
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
Uttara Bhāga · Dharma-nirṇaya (esoteric determination of dharma)
उवाच परमं गुह्यं धर्माणां व्याप्तिनिश्चयम् ॥ अयं धर्मो मया ह्येतच्छ्रुते धर्मे सनातने
uvāca paramaṃ guhyaṃ dharmāṇāṃ vyāpti-niścayam || ayaṃ dharmo mayā hy etac chrute dharme sanātane
uvAcha paramaM guhyaM dharmANAM vyAptanishchayam || ayaM dharmo mayA hyetachChrute dharme sanAtane
ທ່ານໄດ້ກ່າວຄວາມລັບສູງສຸດ—ຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈອັນແນ່ນອນເຖິງຄວາມແຜ່ຊຶມຂອງທັມມະ. “ນີ້ແມ່ນທັມມະ” ທ່ານກ່າວ “ດັ່ງທີ່ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ຍິນໃນທັມມະແຫ່ງສຣຸຕິອັນນິລັນດອນ”
Sandhi Notes
- ह्येतत् = हि + एतत्
- एतच्छ्रुते = एतत् + श्रुते
What is the decisive criterion by which dharma is known to be all-pervasive (vyāpti-niścaya) and grounded in eternal śruti?
Dharma is known through decisive ascertainment of its scope and through fidelity to eternal śruti.
When uncertain about right conduct, prioritize śruti/vaidika foundations and test teachings by their consistent, sustaining applicability (vyāpti) rather than convenience.
Instructional framing within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue horizon; dharma is presented as a ‘supreme secret’ heard in śruti.
Varāha’s ‘secret’ dharma teaching echoes Yajña-Varāha: the cosmic act that ‘supports’ the world parallels dharma as the sustaining, all-pervading order (ṛta/dharma).
Dharma as ‘vyāpti’ mirrors the boar’s cosmic spanning—supporting earth and stabilizing directions; śruti as the ‘source’ parallels Veda as the body of Yajña-Varāha.
Dharma is treated as rooted in apauruṣeya śruti; the ‘pervasiveness’ language aligns with pramāṇa-based discernment (śabda-pramāṇa) and the idea of cosmic order upheld by Bhagavān.
Dharma is to be ascertained by its pervasiveness/valid scope (vyāpti) and anchored in the sanātana śruti-tradition rather than mere opinion.
Right ascertainment stabilizes conduct and yields dhārmic merit; misconstrual of dharma leads to adharma and its demerit (pāpa) through wrong action.
Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue frame (adhyāya 113 context)
FAQs
The verse signals Purāṇic reliance on earlier authoritative discourse (śruti/‘what is heard’) to legitimize ethical teaching, illustrating how Purāṇas position themselves within wider Sanskrit intellectual history.
No geographic location appears in this verse.
Dharma is presented as an all-pervasive principle whose correct determination is considered a ‘secret’ teaching grounded in received tradition.
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