Varaha Purana 6.2: Adhyaya 6, Shloka 2
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
Pūrva Bhāga · Rājadharma and Yajña Narratives (Kingship, ritual patronage)
श्रीवराह उवाच । स वसुः सर्वधर्मज्ञः स्वराज्यं प्रतिपालयन् । अयजद् बहुभिर्यज्ञैर्महद्भिर्भूरिदक्षिणैः ॥ ६.२ ॥
śrīvarāha uvāca | sa vasuḥ sarvadharmajñaḥ svarājyaṃ pratipālayan | ayajad bahubhir yajñair mahadbhir bhūridakṣiṇaiḥ || 6.2 ||
shrIvarAha uvAcha | sa vasuH sarvadharmaj~naH svarAjyaM pratipAlayan | ayajad bahubhiryaj~nairmahadbhirbhUridakShiNaiH || 6.2 ||
ശ്രീവരാഹൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ആ വസു സർവ്വധർമ്മജ്ഞൻ. സ്വരാജ്യം ഭരിക്കുമ്പോൾ അനേകം മഹായജ്ഞങ്ങൾ നടത്തി ധാരാളം ദക്ഷിണ നൽകി.
Sandhi Notes
- श्रीवराह उवाच = श्रीवराहः + उवाच
- बहुभिर्यज्ञैः = बहुभिः + यज्ञैः
- महद्भिर्भूरिदक्षिणैः = महद्भिः + भूरिदक्षिणैः
Varāha
Observer
Power is legitimized by dharma: protection of subjects and support of yajña through giving.
Leaders should fund public-good institutions, compensate service (dakṣiṇā), and govern as trustees rather than exploiters.
A dharma-knowing king should protect his realm and sustain ritual order through great yajñas with generous dakṣiṇā to officiants.
Upholding rājadharma and dakṣiṇā supports prosperity, fame, and religious merit; neglect leads to loss of legitimacy and decline of dharma in the kingdom.
General Vaiṣṇava frame only (Hari/Nārāyaṇa worship), not Mathurā-Kṛṣṇa specific.
Varāha Purāṇa rājadharma/yajña passages in the same narrative unit (Vasu’s career)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ideal of kingship in which political legitimacy is linked to dharma-knowledge and public ritual patronage, especially through the performance of yajñas and the distribution of dakṣiṇā.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it refers generally to the king governing “his own kingdom” (svarājya).
The verse foregrounds an ethical model of rulership: a ruler should protect the realm while being informed by dharma and supporting social-ritual institutions through generous, well-conducted public rites.
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