Varaha Purana 190.54 — Adhyaya 190, Shloka 54
Determinative Exposition on Śrāddha and the Pitṛyajña
Ancestral Offering
न च ब्रह्मा विजानाति निःसृतो मम मायया ॥ एवं मायामयौ भूमौ ब्रह्मरुद्रौ बहिष्कृतौ ॥
na ca brahmā vijānāti niḥsṛto mama māyayā || evaṃ māyāmayau bhūmau brahmarudrau bahiṣkṛtau ||
Dan Brahmā juga tidak mengetahuinya, kerana dia telah dikeluarkan oleh māyā-Ku. Demikianlah, wahai Bumi, Brahmā dan Rudra—yang terbentuk daripada māyā—dibiarkan di luar (dikecualikan).
Varāha (default dialogue frame)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Direct address to Bhūmi (भूमौ/भूमौ) explaining the reach of his māyā and the relative exclusion of Brahmā and Rudra from discerning him."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious; seeking theological clarity within the dialogue frame","key_question":"How can even Brahmā and Rudra fail to know the Supreme, and what is the function of māyā in cosmic hierarchy?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha asserts īśvaratva beyond even creator/destroyer deities; māyā is the veiling power that projects limited agencies (Brahmā/Rudra) and prevents direct apprehension of the Supreme without grace.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: the Lord as the hidden adhvaryu/inner sacrificer whom even high deities cannot ‘discern’ when covered by māyā; exclusion (बहिष्कृत) echoes the uninitiated being outside the sacrificial enclosure.","vedantic_connection":"Viśiṣṭādvaita/Upaniṣadic-style teaching: the Supreme is svatantra; other deities are dependent manifestations within prakṛti/māyā; knowledge requires anugraha rather than mere cosmic office."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology/metaphysics","core_concept":"Māyā can veil the Supreme even from exalted deities; Brahmā and Rudra function as māyā-formed offices, not ultimate reality.","practical_application":"Cultivate humility and reliance on bhakti/śaraṇāgati rather than status or learning; interpret ritual and cosmology as pointing to the transcendent Lord."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Theology (neutral/philological)","Ritual Studies"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: cosmic/theological discourse-space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring Varāha–Bhūmi instruction on māyā and lordship (chapter context around ritual-etiology and cosmology)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as the transcendent teacher addressing Earth, with Brahmā and Rudra shown at the periphery, symbolically ‘outside’ a luminous sphere of māyā.","item_prompts":["Varāha in regal divine form (or boar-headed iconography) seated/standing as guru","Bhūdevī attentive, hands folded","Brahmā with four faces and Rudra with trident placed outside a glowing boundary","a veil-like aura labeled as māyā (visual metaphor)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: saturated reds/greens, Varāha as divine guru with ornate jewelry; Bhūdevī in graceful profile; Brahmā-Rudra outside a circular prabhāmaṇḍala suggesting māyā.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Varāha with heavy gold-leaf halo; Bhūdevī at his side; Brahmā and Rudra smaller, set beyond an embossed arch indicating exclusion by māyā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate linework, soft shading; emphasize didactic gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā) and a translucent veil between Varāha and the outer deities.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical landscape-cosmos hybrid; Varāha and Bhūdevī in a pavilion; Brahmā-Rudra outside the pavilion boundary, with misty māyā-clouds."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"grave, authoritative, teaching cadence"}
FAQs
It illustrates Purāṇic narrative techniques where māyā functions as an explanatory device for concealment, exclusion, or limited knowledge even among high-ranking deities.
No geographic site is mentioned here; the address “O Earth (bhūmau)” is a dialogic vocative rather than a location.
The verse foregrounds epistemic humility: knowledge can be constrained by narrative conditions (māyā), reinforcing the need for proper guidance and correct ritual understanding.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.