Varaha Purana 13.19: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 19
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological Enumeration (Loka-Nisarga / Creation of Worlds)
चत्वारो मूर्त्तिमन्तो वै त्रयस्त्वन्ये ह्यमूर्त्तयः । तेषां लोकनिसर्गं च कीर्त्तयिष्यामि तच्छृणु ॥ १३.१९ ॥
catvāro mūrttimanto vai trayas tv anye hy amūrttayaḥ | teṣāṃ lokanisargaṃ ca kīrtayiṣyāmi tac chṛṇu || 13.19 ||
chatvAro mUrttimanto vai trayastvanye hyamUrttayaH | teShAM lokanisargaM cha kIrttayiShyAmi tachChRRiNu || 13.19 ||
Empat, sesungguhnya, bersifat berwujud (nyata), sedangkan tiga yang lain tidak berwujud (tak nyata). Aku akan menerangkan asal-mula dunia-dunia mereka—dengarkanlah itu.
Sandhi Notes
- त्रयस्त्वन्ये = त्रयः + तु + अन्ये
- ह्यमूर्त्तयः = हि + अमूर्त्तयः
- तच्छृणु = तत् + शृणु (त् + श् → च्छ्)
Varāha
Curious
How are the Pitṛ-principles classified as embodied vs. formless, and how do their respective worlds arise?
Reality is stratified: some principles/beings are embodied (mūrtimat) while others are formless (amūrtā), each with corresponding lokas.
Cultivate discernment between gross and subtle agencies in ritual and life; honor both visible duties and invisible causal forces (saṃskāra, mantra, intention).
Instructional address to Earth within the dialogue frame (teaching cosmology/ontology).
Varāha as cosmic instructor distinguishes vyakta/avyakta (manifest/unmanifest) orders, aligning Purāṇic taxonomy with sāṅkhya-like ontological layering.
Implicit: classification mirrors yajña’s seen (embodied performers/offerings) and unseen (mantra, devatā, pitṛ) agencies.
Bridges nāma-rūpa (manifest forms) and avyakta causal order; supports a graded cosmos under īśvara’s governance.
Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.20-22 (names, influence, lokas of these groups)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic method of presenting cosmology through enumerated categories (embodied vs. formless), serving as a framework for explaining world-origination (loka-nisarga) in a didactic dialogue.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a transitional statement introducing a cosmological explanation rather than a sacred-geography passage.
The verse primarily conveys a pedagogical instruction—attentive listening and orderly inquiry—rather than a direct ethical rule; it frames knowledge transmission in the dialogue format.
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