Varaha Purana 42.3: Adhyaya 42, Shloka 3
Ritual Procedure for the Phālguna Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Narasiṃha Worship, with the Narrative of King Vatsa
Pūrva Bhāga · Pūjā-vidhi (Iconographic worship and ritual offering)
कण्ठं तु शितिकण्ठाय पिङ्गकेशाय वै शिरः । असुरध्वंसनायेति चक्रं तोयात्मने तथा । शङ्खमित्येव सम्पूज्य गन्धपुष्पफलैस्तथा ॥ ४२.३ ॥
kaṇṭhaṃ tu śitikaṇṭhāya piṅgakeśāya vai śiraḥ | asuradhvaṃsanāyeti cakraṃ toyātmane tathā | śaṅkhamityeva sampūjya gandhapuṣpaphalaistathā || 42.3 ||
kaNThaM tu shitikaNThAya pi~NgakeshAya vai shiraH | asuradhvaMsanAyeti chakraM toyAtmane tathA | sha~Nkhamityeva saMpUjya gandhapuShpaphalaistathA || 42.3 ||
Hendaklah disembah bahagian leher (kaṇṭha) bagi Śitikaṇṭha, dan bahagian kepala bagi Piṅgakeśa; demikian juga cakra (cakra) dengan mantera “bagi pemusnah para asura”, dan śaṅkha (śaṅkha) bagi Toyātman; lalu dimuliakan semuanya dengan wangi-wangian, bunga dan buah-buahan.
Sandhi Notes
- असुरध्वंसनायेति = असुरध्वंसनाय + इति
- शङ्खमित्येव = शङ्खम् + इति + एव
- गन्धपुष्पफलैस्तथा = गन्धपुष्पफलैः + तथा
Varāha
Divine epithets encode functions: protection (cakra) and purification (śaṅkha/water); worship is contemplation enacted through offerings.
During pūjā, connect each upacāra to an inner meaning: offer fragrance/flowers/fruits as surrender of senses and results; invoke protective/purifying aspects when facing inner ‘asuras’ (anger, greed).
Āyudhas (cakra, śaṅkha) are not mere weapons but principles: cakra as dharma-protecting time/order that destroys adharma; śaṅkha as purifying waters/sound that sanctifies rites—integrating cosmology into daily worship.
Offerings (gandha, puṣpa, phala) mirror yajña-upacāras; cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ = removal of obstructive forces in ritual; śaṅkha as Toyātman = consecratory water-vessel principle used in abhiṣeka/ācamanīya contexts.
Names and implements point to functions of īśvara: niyantṛ (regulator) and pāvana (purifier). Contemplation of these functions refines the mind toward śānti and bhakti.
Continue aṅga/āyudha-pūjā: worship throat as Śitikaṇṭha, head as Piṅgakeśa; worship cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ and śaṅkha as Toyātman, offering gandha-puṣpa-phala.
Proper honoring of limbs and weapons with offerings completes pūjā and accrues merit; omission diminishes completeness of worship.
Hari-pūjā with aṅga-nyāsa and āyudha-pūjā (as part of the Dvādaśī observance)
Implied: protection (asura-dhvaṃsana), purification (toyātman), and devotional merit through complete pūjā with offerings.
Vaiṣṇava iconography (cakra-śaṅkha) and epithets.
Varāha Purāṇa: continuation of the pūjā-vidhi in surrounding verses (further limb/weapon assignments and fruits)
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic-style ritual taxonomy: body-parts, divine epithets, and emblems (cakra, śaṅkha) are linked with short dedicatory formulas, reflecting how worship manuals integrated mantra cues with iconographic elements.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the content is primarily ritual and iconographic rather than a sacred-geography notice.
The verse emphasizes orderly, non-coercive ritual discipline: careful attribution of offerings and respectful, non-violent devotion expressed through fragrances, flowers, and fruits.
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