Varaha Purana 32.3: Adhyaya 32, Shloka 3
Dharma as the Bull-Form: Soma’s Transgression and the Institution of the Thirteenth Lunar Day Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Pṛthivī-uddhāra (Earth Restoration) and Royal-Ethical Governance
तं दृष्ट्वोवाच भगवान्श्चतुष्पादं वृषाकृतिम् । पालयेमाः प्रजाः साधो त्वं ज्येष्ठो जगतो भव ॥ ३२.४ ॥
taṃ dṛṣṭvovāca bhagavāṃś catuṣpādaṃ vṛṣākṛtim | pālayemāḥ prajāḥ sādho tvaṃ jyeṣṭho jagato bhava || 32.4 ||
taM dRRiShTvovAcha bhagavAMshchatuShpAdaM vRRiShAkRRitim | pAlayemAH prajAH sAdho tvaM jyeShTho jagato bhava || 32.4 ||
അവനെ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ ഭഗവാൻ നാലുകാലുള്ള വൃഷഭാകൃതിയോട് പറഞ്ഞു—“സാധുവേ, ഈ പ്രജകളെ പരിപാലിക്ക; നീ ലോകത്തിൽ ജ്യേഷ്ഠനാകുക.”
Sandhi Notes
- दृष्ट्वोवाच = दृष्ट्वा + उवाच
- भगवान्श्च = भगवान् + च
- पालयेमाः = पालयेमः (visarga sandhi/metrical)
Varāha
Leadership is a sacred trust: the right to be ‘foremost’ is grounded in protecting others.
Measure authority by welfare outcomes; adopt policies and personal discipline that secure safety, justice, and sustenance for dependents.
The bull-form (vṛṣākṛti) embodies dharma (vṛṣa) and four-footed stability (catuṣpāda), implying that governance stands on the ‘four legs’ of dharma; cosmic order is delegated through dharmic embodiment.
Implicit: ‘catuṣpāda’ resonates with dharma’s four supports; vṛṣa as dharma-symbol in Purāṇic idiom.
Dharma as expression of the cosmic will; delegated authority mirrors the idea that worldly governance should reflect the higher order (ṛta/dharma) rather than personal desire.
The foremost duty of the ‘eldest/foremost’ leader is protection of subjects (prajā-pālana); authority is conferred for stewardship.
Protecting subjects establishes legitimacy, prosperity, and merit; failure to protect constitutes adharma leading to loss of status and suffering for ruler and realm.
Varāha Purāṇa 32.32.2: protection deliberated as part of creation; Varāha Purāṇa 32.32.3: protector’s manifestation and sattvic iconography
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical-political motif: the legitimacy of authority is tied to prajā-pālana (protection of subjects). The bull-form imagery also intersects with older Indic symbols of dharma and social order.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it functions as a directive within a narrative scene rather than a site-description.
The verse foregrounds stewardship and responsibility: the addressed figure is instructed to protect the prajā (subjects/creatures) and to assume a leading role defined by guardianship rather than domination.
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