Varaha Purana 49.27: Adhyaya 49, Shloka 27
The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma and Bhakti—Yuga-based Religious Practice (Pūjā-phala)
त्रिमासे द्वापरे भक्त्या पूजयँल्लभते फलम् । नमो नारायणायेति उक्त्वा कलौ तु लभते फलम् । तेन मुष्टं जगद्विष्णोर्भक्तिमात्रं मयेरितम् ॥ ४९.२७ ॥
trimāse dvāpare bhaktyā pūjayaṁllabhate phalam | namo nārāyaṇāyety uktvā kalau tu labhate phalam | tena muṣṭaṁ jagad viṣṇor bhaktimātraṁ mayeritam || 49.27 ||
trimAse dvApare bhaktyA pUjaya.Nllabhate phalam | namo nArAyaNAyetyuktvA kalau tu labhate phalam | tena muShTaM jagad viShNorbhaktimAtraM mayeritam || 49.27 ||
Na era Dvāpara, aquele que, com devoção, realiza o culto por três meses obtém o fruto. Mas na era Kali, apenas ao proferir “namo nārāyaṇāya” obtém-se o fruto. Por isso, para o mundo declarei de modo conciso que somente a bhakti a Viṣṇu é o essencial.
Sandhi Notes
- त्रिमासे = त्रि + मासे (द्विगु)
- पूजयँल्लभते = पूजयन् + लभते
- नारायणायेति = नारायणाय + इति
- जगद्विष्णोः = जगत् + विष्णोः (त्→द्)
- भक्तिमात्रं = भक्ति + मात्रम्
- मयेरितम् = मया + ईरितम्
Varāha
Relieved and hopeful; hearing Kali-yuga accessibility through nāma
What is the simplest effective sādhana in Kali-yuga, and why is mere utterance of Nārāyaṇa’s name sufficient?
As capacities decline, grace manifests as simplification: nāma-japa becomes the most potent and inclusive practice.
Daily repetition of ‘namo nārāyaṇāya’ with faith; prioritize bhakti (remembrance, surrender) over anxiety about complex rites.
In Kali, the ‘yajña’ condenses into vāṅmaya-yajña (sacrifice of speech): the mantra becomes the offering, and remembrance becomes the altar.
Mantra ‘namo nārāyaṇāya’ as āhuti; tongue as sruc (ladle); breath as agni’s movement—internalized ritual replacing extended external rites.
Nāma and nāmī (the Named) are treated as non-different in bhakti theology; japa stabilizes citta, leading toward smaraṇa and surrender to Nārāyaṇa.
Yuga-dharma scaling: Dvāpara worship for three months equals the fruit; in Kali, uttering ‘namo nārāyaṇāya’ yields the fruit—thus bhakti alone is the essence.
Adopting nāma-bhakti grants the stated fruit with minimal ritual burden; ignoring bhakti forfeits an easy path in Kali (no explicit punishment stated).
Attainment of the same devotional fruit that required longer worship in earlier yugas; succinctly, success through bhakti-mātra.
Foreshadowing in principle: Kali-yuga emphasis on nāma-bhakti aligns with later Kṛṣṇa-centered nāma traditions, but no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa site is named.
Varāha Purāṇa 49.49.26 (Kṛta/Tretā comparison)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic discourse on yuga-based religious discipline, contrasting longer ritual observances with the increasing emphasis on accessible devotional utterance in the Kali age.
No geographic location is named in this verse; its focus is temporal (yuga) and methodological (worship and mantra).
The verse foregrounds devotion (bhakti) as the central principle, presenting it as a concise and universally applicable discipline across changing historical epochs.
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