Varaha Purana 125.41: Adhyaya 125, Shloka 41
The Cycle of Māyā
Illusory Causation and Perceptual Reversal
मायामंशुमयीं कृत्वा पूरयाम्यखिलं जगत् ॥ वर्षन्ते यत्र संवर्त्ता धारैर्मुसलसन्निभैः ॥
māyām aṃśumayīṃ kṛtvā pūrayāmy akhilaṃ jagat || varṣante yatra saṃvarttā dhārair musala-sannibhaiḥ ||
മായയെ കിരണമയ രൂപമാക്കി ഞാൻ അഖില ലോകത്തെയും നിറയ്ക്കുന്നു. അവിടെ സംവർത്തകാല മഴകൾ ഉലക്കപോലെയുള്ള ധാരകളായി പെയ്യുന്നു.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Addresses cosmic process affecting Earth: māyā becomes ‘ray-made’ and pervades the world; describes saṃvarta rains—an eschatological condition impacting Earth’s stability."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"awed, possibly anxious at dissolution imagery","key_question":"What is the mechanism and character of world-ending transformation—how does ray-formed māyā lead to catastrophic saṃvarta rains?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"‘Ray-made māyā’ links dissolution to the same solar/tejas principle that sustains life: when intensified and universalized, it flips from ripening to desiccation and then to saṃvarta reversal—torrential rains that erase forms.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Tejas (rays) as the sacrificial fire that first transforms offerings; at saṃvarta, the rite ‘overflows’—streams like pestles (musala) pound the world, like a cosmic soma-pressing inverted into destruction.","vedantic_connection":"Cyclic manifestation: creation and dissolution are modalities of one power; forms are contingent, while the pervading śakti remains continuous under īśvara."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"impermanence within cosmic order","core_concept":"The same divine power that pervades and sustains also dissolves; dissolution is structured, not chaotic.","practical_application":"Develop vairāgya (detachment) and steadiness: do not absolutize worldly forms; align life with dharma knowing cycles of change."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Eschatology","Meteorology (mythic)"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: cosmological
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 125.44 (solar rays); Varāha Purāṇa 125.46 (saṃvartikī māyā; cosmic sleep)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmic panorama: māyā as luminous rays spreads everywhere; then colossal saṃvarta clouds burst, raining in thick, pestle-like columns that pound mountains and oceans into a single churning expanse.","item_prompts":["radiant net of rays covering the cosmos","towering black-blue clouds","vertical rain-columns like pestles (musala)","submerged landscapes—mountains, trees, cities dissolving","Varāha as narrator/overseer with Bhu Devī witnessing"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic layered clouds; stylized thick rain strokes; luminous ray-pattern overlay; Varāha and Bhu Devī at the side as framed witnesses; high-contrast palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold rays across the panel; embossed cloud borders; heavy rain rendered with raised silver/white accents; divine figures with ornate halos anchoring the chaos.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: controlled drama—detailed cloud forms, rhythmic rain lines; expressive but balanced composition; subtle glow of rays beneath storm.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: sweeping diagonal storm composition; delicate yet intense rain streaks; small, poignant details of landscape being overtaken; cool storm tones with warm ray highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, expansive","suggested_raga":"Tōḍi","pace":"slow-to-medium","voice_tone":"deep, resonant, emphasizing the weight of ‘संवर्त्ता’ and the simile ‘मुसलसन्निभैः’"}
FAQs
It is a compact witness to Purāṇic saṃvarta (cosmic dissolution) imagery, important for comparative studies of end-time motifs across Indian texts.
No named location; the description is cosmological and pertains to dissolution conditions rather than a particular region.
The verse foregrounds impermanence at cosmic scale, encouraging a reflective stance toward stability, power, and worldly continuity.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in 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.