Varaha Purana 40.4: Adhyaya 40, Shloka 4
Ritual Procedure for the Kūrma Dvādaśī Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Stotra/Mantra-vidhi (Aṅga-nyāsa style Vaiṣṇava praise)
ॐकूर्माय पादौ प्रथमं प्रपूज्य नारायणेत्य् हरेः कटिं च । संकर्षणायेत्युदरं विशोकेत्युरोभवायेत्य् तथैव कण्ठम् । सुबाहवेतेव भुजौ शिरश्च नमो विशालाय रथाङ्गसारम् ॥ ४०.४ ॥
oṃkūrmāya pādau prathamaṃ prapūjya nārāyaṇety hareḥ kaṭiṃ ca | saṅkarṣaṇāyety udaraṃ viśokety urobhavāyety tathaiva kaṇṭham | subāhav etyeva bhujau śiraś ca namo viśālāya rathāṅgasāram || 40.4 ||
OMkUrmAya pAdau prathamaM prapUjya nArAyaNeti hareH kaTiM cha | saMkarShaNAyetyudaraM vishoke- tyurobhavAyeti tathaiva kaNTham | subAhavetyeva bhujau shirashcha namo vishAlAya rathA~NgasAram || 40.4 ||
Najpierw oddając cześć stopom formułą „Oṃ, Kūrmie”, a potem pasowi Hariego z „(ku) Nārāyaṇie”, należy podobnie przypisać „(ku) Saṅkarṣaṇie” do brzucha, „(ku) Viśoce” do klatki piersiowej, i „(ku) Urobhavie” do gardła; oraz „(ku) Subāhu” do ramion i głowy. Hołd dla Rozległego, którego istotą jest dysk (rathāṅga).
Sandhi Notes
- oṃ + kūrmāya written together as ॐकूर्माय
- nārāyaṇa + iti → nārāyaṇety
- saṅkarṣaṇāya + iti → saṅkarṣaṇāyety
- viśokāya + iti → viśokety
- uraḥ + bhavāya + iti → urobhavāyety (uraḥ + bhavāya → urobhavāya by sandhi)
- subāhave + iti → subāhav ety (e + i often shown separated)
- śiraḥ + ca → śiraś ca (visarga → ś before c)
Varāha
Attentive; learning mantra-nyāsa
Which mantras should be assigned to which limbs in the Kūrma-Hari nyāsa during worship?
Divine names are not mere labels; they are powers (śakti) installed through nyāsa, making the body a vessel of remembrance and protection.
During pūjā/japa, use structured nyāsa to focus attention sequentially, reducing distraction and deepening embodied devotion.
The deity’s body is treated as a mapped cosmos/ritual altar: nyāsa internalizes worship, making the devotee’s perception align with the divine body as yajña-kṣetra.
Instead, a Vaiṣṇava aṅga-nyāsa mapping (limbs as loci for divine names) culminating in rathāṅga (cakra) as protective essence.
Supports the upāsanā principle that nāma-rūpa contemplation leads the mind to the one Viṣṇu-tattva; internalization (antar-yāga) complements external pūjā.
Perform limb-wise worship/nyāsa: feet (Kūrma), waist (Nārāyaṇa), abdomen (Saṅkarṣaṇa), chest (Viśoka), throat (Urobhava), arms/head (Subāhu), concluding with homage to the Vast One with discus-essence.
Correct nyāsa is implied to sanctify the body as a ritual field and stabilize mantra efficacy; incorrect placement risks ritual fault (doṣa) and diminished fruit.
Implied: protection and completeness of worship through aṅga-nyāsa; explicit fruit not stated.
Names like Nārāyaṇa and Saṅkarṣaṇa resonate with later Vaiṣṇava theology (vyūha associations), but no explicit Kṛṣṇa/Mathurā marker.
Varāha Purāṇa 40.40.3 (worship with distinct mantras); Varāha Purāṇa 40.40.5 (offerings and kalaśa)
FAQs
It preserves a ritual-technical sequence resembling aṅga-nyāsa, mapping divine names onto body parts; such passages are important evidence for the integration of mantra practice and Purāṇic Vaiṣṇava theology in medieval Sanskrit textual culture.
No specific geographic or pilgrimage site is named in this verse; the content is primarily liturgical and theological rather than topographical.
The verse emphasizes disciplined reverence and mindful practice—an ethic of attentiveness and ordered ritual action—rather than a direct social or environmental injunction.
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.
