Varaha Purana 35.2 — Adhyaya 35, Shloka 2
The Account of Soma’s Decline and Restoration, and the Paurṇamāsī Observance
सप्तविंशति याः कन्या दाक्षायण्यः प्रकीर्तिताः । सोमपत्न्योऽतिमन्तव्यास्तासां श्रेष्ठा तु रोहिणी ॥ ३५.२ ॥
saptaviṁśati yāḥ kanyā dākṣāyaṇyaḥ prakīrtitāḥ | somapatnyo 'timantavyās tāsāṁ śreṣṭhā tu rohiṇī || 35.2 ||
ບັນດາກະນະຍາ 27 ນາງ ທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບການສັນລະເສີນວ່າເປັນທິດາຂອງດັກສະ ພຶງເຂົ້າໃຈວ່າເປັນພຣະມະເຫສີຂອງໂສມະ (ພຣະຈັນ). ໃນພວກນາງນັ້ນ ໂຣຫິນີ ເປັນຜູ້ປະເສີດທີ່ສຸດ.
Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in excerpt)
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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"Who are Dakṣa’s twenty-seven daughters in relation to Soma, and which is preeminent among them?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
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":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The 27 wives of Soma encode the nakṣatra-cycle through which lunar time ‘moves’; Rohiṇī’s preeminence signals the moon’s special affinity with a particular stellar station, grounding ritual calendrics in myth.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"Time (kāla) as a cosmic regulator: Soma’s relational network mirrors the ordered manifestation of prakṛti as measurable cycles; devotion/ritual depends on this intelligible order."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmology of time","core_concept":"Cosmic order is relational: the moon’s passage through 27 stations structures lived dharma (timing of rites).","practical_application":"Attend to lunar/nakṣatra timing in observances; understand myth as a mnemonic for calendrical science."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Genealogy","Astral Lore"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: astral-mythic
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 35 (Soma–nakṣatra wives narrative)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A celestial court where Soma is surrounded by twenty-seven star-maidens (nakṣatras), with Rohiṇī highlighted as foremost—brighter, nearer, or garlanded.","item_prompts":["Soma with crescent crown","27 star-maidens with distinct star emblems","Rohiṇī emphasized (brighter aura/central position)","celestial mandala backdrop","constellation motifs"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: circular nakṣatra mandala around Soma; Rohiṇī in prominent placement; rich blues and reds with stylized star icons.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Soma central with gold moon and star embossing; 27 consorts in symmetrical ring; Rohiṇī with extra gold ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant celestial assembly, subtle starfield; Rohiṇī distinguished by softer yet brighter halo and refined jewelry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical night-sky miniature; Soma seated with consorts as star-nymphs; Rohiṇī closest, with a distinct star banner."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative, cosmic","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani (bright astral clarity)","pace":"medium with rhythmic listing cadence","voice_tone":"clear, slightly elevated, wonder-tinged"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic synthesis of genealogy and astral taxonomy, identifying the 27 nakṣatras as Dakṣa’s daughters and as Soma’s consorts—an influential framework for later calendrical and astronomical traditions in South Asia.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is primarily cosmological/astral, focused on Soma and the personified nakṣatras.
The verse is descriptive rather than prescriptive; its main function is classificatory—establishing a hierarchy among the nakṣatras by naming Rohiṇī as foremost.
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