Varaha Purana 22.9: Adhyaya 22, Shloka 9
Gaurī’s Rebirth, Umā’s Austerities, Rudra’s Test, and the Himalayan Wedding
Pūrva Bhāga · Narrative Episode (Āśrama-gamana / Disguise Motif)
अजगामाश्रमं तस्या विप्रो भूत्वा महेश्वरः । वृद्धः शिथिलसर्वाङ्गः स्खलंश्चैव पदे पदे ॥ २२.९ ॥
ajagāmāśramaṃ tasyā vipro bhūtvā maheśvaraḥ | vṛddhaḥ śithila-sarvāṅgaḥ skhalaṃś caiva pade pade || 22.9 ||
AjagAmAshramaM tasyA vipro bhUtvA maheshvaraH | vRRiddhaH shithilasarvA~NgaH skhalaMshchaiva pade pade || 22.9 ||
Mahēśvara udał się do jej pustelni, przyjąwszy postać brāhmaṇy: stary, ze wszystkimi członkami osłabionymi i niedołężnymi, potykając się na każdym kroku.
Sandhi Notes
- अजगामाश्रमं = अजगाम + आश्रमम्
- स्खलंश्चैव = स्खलन् + च + एव
Varāha
Divinity may be concealed; dharma is measured by response to apparent weakness and need.
Treat every guest and vulnerable person as potentially sacred; practice compassion without status-calculation.
The ‘testing in disguise’ motif underscores that virtue (especially hospitality and humility) must be practiced without knowing the recipient’s true status.
Serving the needy-looking guest accrues great merit (often equal to serving the deity); contempt or neglect becomes a cause of demerit and loss of spiritual attainment.
Varāha Purāṇa 22.22.10-11 (the disguised dvija requests food; Umā responds with hospitality)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative device in which a deity adopts a human guise (often elderly or vulnerable) to approach an āśrama setting, foregrounding social ethics such as hospitality and discernment.
No specific toponym is given here; the verse only mentions an āśrama (hermitage), a standard cultural setting rather than a uniquely identifiable geographic site.
Implicitly, the scene prepares an ethical test: proper conduct toward guests—especially the aged or infirm—emphasizing compassion, respectful reception, and care within an āśrama milieu.
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.
