Varaha Purana 3.20 — Adhyaya 3, Shloka 20

Nārada’s Account of a Former Birth and a Hymn to Nārāyaṇa

Devanagari script

परात्परं पारगतं प्रमेयं युधाम्पतिं कार्यत एव कृष्णम्। गदासिचर्मण्यभृतोत्थपाणिं नमामि नारायणमप्रमेयम्॥ ३.२० ॥

Transliteration

parātparaṁ pāragataṁ prameyaṁ yudhāṁpatiṁ kāryata eva kṛṣṇam | gadāsicarmāṇyabhṛtotthapāṇiṁ namāmi nārāyaṇam aprameyam || 3.20 ||

Translation

Aku bersujud kepada Nārāyaṇa, Yang tak terukur: melampaui yang tertinggi, telah menyeberangi segala batas; dapat diketahui melalui pramāṇa namun tetap tidak terhingga; Penguasa pertempuran; Kṛṣṇa dalam perbuatan yang nyata—dengan tangan terangkat memegang gada, pedang, dan perisai.

Word by Word

• परात्-परम्: supreme beyond the supreme
• परात्-परम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'परात् परम्' (beyond the beyond / higher than the highest)

• पार-गतम्: gone beyond / transcendent
• पार-गतम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पार (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त; गम्-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) 'गत'; तत्पुरुषः—'पारं गतः' (gone to the far shore; transcendent)

• प्रमेयम्: measurable / knowable
• प्रमेयम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'measurable/knowable (by pramāṇa)'

• युधाम्-पतिम्: lord of battles
• युधाम्-पतिम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधाम् (युध्/युधा-शब्द; प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'युधाम् (युद्धानाम्) पतिः' (lord of battles/warriors)

• कार्यतः: as to (his) function/effect
• कार्यतः: सम्बन्ध/अपादान (Ablatival sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) — 'कार्यतः' (from the standpoint of effect/action; as to function)

• एव: indeed
• एव: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; emphatic particle

• कृष्णम्: Kṛṣṇa / the dark one
• कृष्णम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-नाम (as an epithet/name)

• गदा-असि-चर्माणि-अभृत-उत्थ-पाणिम्: whose raised hands hold mace, sword, and shield
• गदा-असि-चर्माणि-अभृत-उत्थ-पाणिम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + असि (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अभृत (कृदन्त; भृ-धातु) + उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—'गदां च असिं च चर्म च अभृत (धारयन्) उत्थपाणिः यस्य' (whose raised hands bear mace, sword, and shield); अभृत = भृ-धातोः क्त (borne/held)

• नमामि: I bow to
• नमामि: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अ-प्रमेयम्: immeasurable
• अ-प्रमेयम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + प्रमेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नञ्-युक्त—immeasurable

Speaker

Narratorial voice (invocation); default dialogue frame: Varāha–Pṛthivī context not explicit in this verse

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Yes, by naming Kṛṣṇa as the manifest/active mode (‘kāryata eva kṛṣṇam’), but without Mathurā localization."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"A pramāṇa/prameya paradox: the deity is ‘prameya’ insofar as knowable/approachable (through form, name, icon), yet ‘aprameya’ as ultimately beyond measure—mirroring Purāṇic synthesis of saguna devotion with nirguna transcendence.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Martial iconography (mace, sword, shield) can be read as protective ‘yajña-guardianship’: the deity preserves dharma so yajña and order can continue; not explicit Yajña-Varāha limb-mapping here.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges epistemology and bhakti: one may know and worship the manifest Lord, while acknowledging the ultimate exceeds conceptual capture; supports layered theology (vyavahāra/paramārtha)."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemology of the divine (prameya/aprameya) with devotional access","core_concept":"God is accessible to knowledge and worship yet ultimately immeasurable; form does not exhaust essence.","practical_application":"Hold disciplined devotion to the icon/form while maintaining humility about conceptual limits; seek protection and courage in dharmic struggle."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Theology (Vaishnava iconography)","Philosophical epistemology (prameya/aprameya)","Poetics (invocatory verse)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vīra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: 3.3.17 (aprameya refrain); 3.3.18 (Kṛṣṇa in Kali)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Nārāyaṇa as a warrior-lord, standing poised with raised arms holding gadā, asi (sword), and carman (shield), surrounded by a halo suggesting transcendence beyond measure.","item_prompts":["mace (gadā)","sword (asi)","shield (carman)","dynamic stance suggesting readiness","vast halo/mandala indicating ‘parātpara’","optional battlefield haze without gore"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: heroic Nārāyaṇa with bold outlines, ornate jewelry, weapons clearly rendered; deep background with stylized clouds; strong vīra mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf halo and arch, richly embossed weapons, gem-like colors; deity centered, frontal, commanding.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant warrior posture, refined weapon detailing, soft gradations; emphasis on dignity over aggression.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative battlefield edge with banners and distant troops; deity luminous and central, weapons stylized, bright palette."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, protective","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, resonant, slightly heightened on weapon-compounds and ‘yudhāmpatim’"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Hymnology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It functions as a maṅgalācaraṇa (invocatory benediction), a common Purāṇic literary feature that frames the chapter with an authoritative and auspicious address to a central deity, reflecting established conventions of Sanskrit composition and transmission.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily a theological and iconographic invocation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse presents a philosophical posture of humility and disciplined attention (namāmi, “I bow”) toward the transcendent principle, emphasizing reverence and epistemic restraint when approaching what is described as both knowable (prameya) and immeasurable (aprameya).