Varaha Purana 39.17: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 17
Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma–Yajña Vicāra (Ritual Economy and Access to Hari)
सत्यतपा उवाच । भगवन् बहुवित्तेन ऋत्विग्भिर्वेदपारगैः । प्राप्यते पुण्यकृद्भिर्हि क्वचिद्यज्ञः कथञ्चन । तेन प्राप्तेन भगवान् लभ्यते दुःखतो हरिः ॥ ३९.१७ ॥
satyatapā uvāca | bhagavan bahuvittena ṛtvigbhir vedapāragaiḥ | prāpyate puṇyakṛdbhir hi kvacid yajñaḥ kathañcana | tenā prāptena bhagavān labhyate duḥkhato hariḥ || 39.17 ||
satyatapA uvAcha | bhagavan bahuvittena RRitvigbhirvedapAragaiH | prApyate puNyakRRidbhirhi kvachid yaj~naH kathaMchana | tena prAptena bhagavAn labhyate duHkhato hariH || 39.17 ||
Satyatapā disse: “Ó Bhagavān, o yajña, de algum modo e apenas em certos casos, torna-se possível aos que praticam o mérito—com muita riqueza e com sacerdotes (ṛtvij) versados nos Vedas. Por aquilo assim obtido, alcança-se de fato o Senhor Hari, removedor do sofrimento?”
Sandhi Notes
- पुण्यकृद्भिर्हि → पुण्यकृद्भिः हि
- तेन प्राप्तेन → तेन प्रাপ্তेन
- दुःखतो (तसिलन्त) अव्यय।
Satyatapā
If yajña requires great wealth, Veda-knowing priests, and prior merit, does such ritual attainment truly lead to realizing Hari who removes suffering?
Questioning whether external, resource-intensive ritual (yajña) is a sufficient or reliable means to attain Hari and end duḥkha.
Seek a universally accessible sādhana (e.g., dāna, bhakti, nāma, or inner disposition) rather than assuming costly ritual alone guarantees God-realization.
Yajña is portrayed as contingent on wealth, qualified ṛtviks, and accumulated merit, raising the dharmic question of accessibility to God through costly ritual.
Implied: those lacking wealth/qualification may be excluded from yajña-based merit; hence reliance on yajña alone can make Hari seem difficult to attain.
39.39.18-19 (problem of wealth/attachment; request for low-effort universal means)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic-era concern with the practical prerequisites of Vedic sacrifice—wealth and learned officiants—and raises a critical question about whether ritual procurement equates to attaining Hari, indicating evolving discourse on ritual versus broader forms of devotion and ethics.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on ritual conditions (wealth, ṛtvij, Veda mastery) rather than sacred topography.
The verse frames an ethical-philosophical inquiry: if access to yajña depends on wealth and specialized expertise, how is spiritual attainment (realization of Hari as remover of suffering) to be understood—prompting reflection on equity, merit, and the limits of ritual means.
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