Varaha Purana 37.3: Adhyaya 37, Shloka 3
The Threefold Discipline (Mental, Physical, Verbal) and the Salvific Power of Hearing Nārāyaṇa’s Name
Pūrva Bhāga · Vratavidhi (Ethical Observances and Vow-Discipline)
कर्मणा मनसा वाचा मच्चित्तो यो नरो भवेत् । तस्य व्रतानि धास्यामि विविधानि निबोध मे ॥ ३७.३ ॥
karmaṇā manasā vācā maccitto yo naro bhavet | tasya vratāni dhāsyāmi vividhāni nibodha me || 37.3 ||
karmaNA manasA vAchA machchitto yo naro bhavet | tasya vratAni dhAsyAmi vividhAni nibodha me || 37.3 ||
Ktokolwiek staje się oddanym Mnie przez czyn, myśl i mowę, jego różne obserwacje ślubów przedstawię; poznaj je ode Mnie.
Sandhi Notes
- मच्चित्तो = मत् + चित्तः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
Varāha
Ready to receive systematic vrata-teachings
True devotion is holistic—expressed through body (karma), mind (manas), and speech (vāc).
Before undertaking vratas, align conduct, intention, and words: truthful speech, disciplined actions, and steady remembrance.
Varāha continues instructing Bhu Devi, promising to enumerate diverse vratas for those devoted in deed, thought, and speech.
Eligibility principle: one who is devoted to the Lord through action, mind, and speech is fit for prescribed vratas; the teacher will lay down varied observances.
Integrated devotion (trikaraṇa-śuddhi) supports fruitful vrata-performance and spiritual progress; fragmented devotion undermines observance.
General promise implied: vrata observances undertaken with trikaraṇa devotion yield spiritual attainment and divine favor (specific fruits to follow).
The triad karma-manas-vācā devotion is a common Vaiṣṇava ethical frame later prominent in Kṛṣṇa-bhakti traditions.
37.37.2 (bhāva as primary); Subsequent vrata-prakaraṇa in the same adhyāya (not provided in excerpt)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic instructional pattern: a teacher-figure frames ethical or ritual practice (vrata) as grounded in integrated discipline of deed, thought, and speech—an idiom widely attested in classical Sanskrit moral discourse.
No geographic location is specified in this verse; the focus is on eligibility and orientation for receiving instruction on vow-observances.
The verse emphasizes integrated self-discipline—aligning actions, mental intention, and speech—presented as the qualifying basis for learning and undertaking structured observances (vratas).
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.
