Varaha Purana 57.4: Adhyaya 57, Shloka 4

The Observance for Attaining Radiance: The Soma Kānti-Vrata

Devanagari script

बलदेवाय पादौ तु केशवाय शिरोऽर्चयेत् । एवमभ्यर्च्य मेधावी वैष्णवं रूपमुत्तमम् ॥ ५७.४ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 57.4

Transliteration

baladevāya pādau tu keśavāya śiro 'rcayet | evam abhyarcya medhāvī vaiṣṇavaṁ rūpam uttamam || 57.4 ||

Translation

ബലദേവന്റെ പാദങ്ങളെയും കേശവന്റെ ശിരസ്സിനെയും ആരാധിക്കണം. ഇങ്ങനെ അർച്ചന ചെയ്ത് മേധാവി പുരുഷൻ പരമ വൈഷ്ണവമായ ഉത്തമരൂപത്തെ വന്ദിക്കുന്നു।

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Word by Word

• बलदेवाय: to Baladeva
• बलदेवाय: सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलदेव (प्रातिपदिक: बल + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; समासः बलस्य देवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• पादौ: the two feet
• पादौ: कर्म (Karma/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), द्विवचन

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• केशवाय: to Keśava
• केशवाय: सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• शिरः: the head
• शिरः: कर्म (Karma/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/ल्यप्), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having done)

• मेधावी: the intelligent person
• मेधावी: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेधाविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava
• वैष्णवम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘रूपम्’ इति विशेषण

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: कर्म (Karma/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme/excellent
• उत्तमम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘रूपम्’ इति विशेषण

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ritual Studies
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents a Purāṇic-style arcana (ritual worship) instruction that maps divine names to bodily loci (feet/head), reflecting established devotional and iconographic conventions in medieval Sanskrit religious literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it is primarily a ritual-technical instruction rather than a tīrtha (sacred geography) reference.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes disciplined, attentive worship (arcana) carried out with discernment (medhā), presenting reverent practice as a cultivated, orderly form of conduct.