Varaha Purana 4.30: Adhyaya 4, Shloka 30
On Nārāyaṇa’s Ten Avatāras and Eightfold Manifestations, and the Account of King Aśvaśirā
Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra / Rājabhavana-varṇana (descriptive narrative)
अश्वा गावो द्विपाः सिंहा व्याघ्रा गोमायवो मृगाः । अन्येऽपि पशवः कीटा ग्राम्यारण्याश्च सर्वशः । दृश्यन्ते राजभवने कोटिशो भूतधारिणि ॥ ४.३० ॥
aśvā gāvo dvipāḥ siṁhā vyāghrā gomāyavo mṛgāḥ | anye 'pi paśavaḥ kīṭā grāmyāraṇyāś ca sarvaśaḥ | dṛśyante rājabhavane koṭiśo bhūtadhāriṇi || 4.30 ||
ashvA gAvo dvipAH siMhA vyAghrA gomAyavo mRRigAH | anye.api pashavaH kITA grAmyAraNyAshcha sarvashaH | dRRishyante rAjabhavane koTisho bhUtadhAriNi || 4.30 ||
Kuda, lembu, gajah, singa, harimau, serigala/jakal, rusa, dan binatang lain juga—serta serangga, yang jinak dan yang liar dalam segala rupa—kelihatan di istana raja, wahai pemangku segala makhluk, berjumlah jutaan.
Sandhi Notes
- अन्येऽपि→अन्ये अपि
- ग्राम्यारण्याश्च→ग्राम्याः अरण्याः च
- राजभवने→राज-भवने
Varāha
The apparent stability of place and order can be overturned; the ‘bearing’ of beings (dhāraṇā) hints at deeper ontological support beyond political power.
Temper royal/egoic certainty; recognize dependence on cosmic order and seek wisdom when reality behaves non-ordinarily.
Calling the addressee ‘bhūta-dhāriṇī’ (bearer of beings) while describing millions of creatures appearing in one locus compresses the cosmos into a point—an image of the world upheld by Earth and, beyond her, by the supreme sustaining principle.
Microcosm-macrocosm compression: the many can appear within the one field; supports the idea of a substratum that ‘holds’ beings (ādhāra-ādhārya-bhāva).
Varāha Purāṇa 4.4.29 (initial fauna omen); Varāha Purāṇa 4.4.31-32 (king’s astonishment and inquiry)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic descriptive style that uses expansive catalogues and hyperbole (e.g., “koṭiśaḥ”) to convey abundance and the perceived vastness of the world, here framed through a royal-palace setting.
No specific place-name is stated in this verse; it refers generally to a “rāja-bhavana” (royal residence/palace) without an identifiable modern geographic correlate.
Rather than a direct injunction, the verse foregrounds the coexistence and comprehensiveness of living beings (domestic and wild), supporting a philosophical emphasis on the breadth of life under the Earth as “bhūta-dhāriṇī” (supporter of beings).
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