Varaha Purana 71.41: Adhyaya 71, Shloka 41
Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account
Pūrva Bhāga · Kali-yuga Dharma and Social Conduct (Ethical Narratives)
यदि नाम कलौ सर्वे भविष्यन्ति द्विजोत्तमाः । उपकारीणि ये ते हि अपकर्तार एव हि । इत्थंभूता अपि कलौ भक्तिभाजो भवन्तु ते ॥ ७१.४१ ॥
yadi nāma kalau sarve bhaviṣyanti dvijottamāḥ | upakāriṇi ye te hi apakartāra eva hi | itthaṁbhūtā api kalau bhaktibhājo bhavantu te || 71.41 ||
yadi nAma kalau sarve bhaviShyanti dvijottamAH | upakAriNi ye te hi apakartAra eva hi | itthaMbhUtA api kalau bhaktibhAjo bhavantu te || 71.41 ||
Walaupun pada zaman Kali semua dianggap sebagai ‘dua kali lahir yang unggul’, mereka yang tampak membantu secara lahiriah sebenarnya merekalah yang mendatangkan mudarat. Namun demikian, walau sedemikian dalam Kali, semoga mereka tetap menjadi penerima bahagian dalam bhakti (kesetiaan rohani).
Sandhi Notes
- itthaṁbhūtā → itthaṃ-bhūtāḥ (compound)
- bhaktibhājo → bhakti-bhājaḥ
Varāha
Curious
Guṇa and conduct outweigh nominal status; Kali distorts appearances, but bhakti can transform even the compromised.
Judge by ācāra (conduct) rather than title; practice bhakti (nāma, smaraṇa, sevā) as a stabilizing discipline amid social hypocrisy.
In Kali, social labels (e.g., ‘dvijottama’) become unreliable; discernment is required because apparent benefactors may be harmful, yet bhakti remains the redemptive possibility.
Uncritical trust in outward ‘helpfulness’ leads to harm; cultivating devotion and discernment mitigates Kali’s moral inversion.
Implicit: Kali-yuga critique and turn to bhakti aligns with Vaiṣṇava bhakti emphasis later associated with Kṛṣṇa, though not site-specific here.
71.71.42 (ritual decline in Kali); 71.71.44 (dāna as meritorious in Kali)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic motif: critique of moral decline in Kali-yuga, especially the tension between social status (e.g., ‘dvijottama’) and actual ethical conduct.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is social-ethical characterization within the Kali-yuga framework.
The verse cautions that outwardly ‘helpful’ behavior may conceal harmful intent, while still expressing a non-coercive ethical hope that such persons may turn toward devotion (bhakti) despite their faults.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
