Varaha Purana 35.6: Adhyaya 35, Shloka 6
The Account of Soma’s Decline and Restoration, and the Paurṇamāsī Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological Narratives (Soma and Dakṣa’s curse)
एवमुक्त्वा क्षयं सोम आगमद् दक्षशापतः । देवा मनुष्याः पशवो नष्टे सोमे सवीरुधः ॥ ३५.६ ॥
evam uktvā kṣayaṃ soma āgamad dakṣaśāpataḥ | devā manuṣyāḥ paśavo naṣṭe some savīrudhaḥ || 35.6 ||
evamuktvA kShayaM soma agamad dakShashApataH | devA manuShyAH pashavo naShTe some savIrudhaH || 35.6 ||
Tak przemówiwszy, Soma, Księżyc, popadł w stan upadku z powodu klątwy Dakshy. Gdy Soma został pomniejszony, bogowie, ludzie i zwierzęta, wraz z roślinnością, uległy zniszczeniu.
Sandhi Notes
- एवमुक्त्वा = एवम् + उक्त्वा
- दक्षशापतः = दक्ष-शापतः (समास)
- नष्टे सोमे = नष्टे + सोमे (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध/सप्तमी-absolute nuance)
Varāha
Burdened
A single disturbance in cosmic order (ṛta)—here Soma’s decline—propagates through all beings, revealing mutual dependence of life-forms and divine functions.
Honor cyclical supports of life (time, water, plants, ritual reciprocity); avoid actions that destabilize shared ecological/cosmic balances.
Soma’s kṣaya signifies depletion of rasa/ojas in the cosmos; when the ‘nectar’ principle wanes, the yajña-ecosystem (deva–manuṣya–paśu–vīrudh) collapses, implying the world’s dependence on a sustaining sacrificial order ultimately upheld by Viṣṇu.
Implicit: Soma as havis/rasa that nourishes gods and vegetation; its diminution disrupts the reciprocal ‘yajña-cycle’ of nourishment.
Interdependence of nāma-rūpa systems on sustaining śakti; decline of a cosmic function (Soma) reveals contingency and the need for the Supreme as ādhāra (support).
Varāha Purāṇa 35.35.7-8 (herbs diminish; refuge in Viṣṇu)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic mode of explaining cosmic and ecological instability through narrative causation (a curse leading to lunar diminution), illustrating how cosmology and environmental well-being are linked in Sanskrit textual traditions.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is cosmic and ecological rather than tied to a particular sacred site.
The verse foregrounds interconnectedness: disruption at a cosmic level (Soma’s kṣaya) is portrayed as cascading into widespread harm for living beings and vegetation, encouraging a philosophical awareness of systemic consequence.
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.
