Varaha Purana 72.2: Adhyaya 72, Shloka 2
Instruction on the Unity of the Triad
Brahmā-Viṣṇu-Rudra
Uttara Bhāga · Dialogues on Trayi (Vedic triad) and theological identifications
अगस्त्य उवाच । भवान् ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च त्रयमेतत् त्रयी स्मृता । दीपोऽग्निर्दोपसंयोगैः सर्वशास्त्रेषु सर्वतः ॥ ७२.२ ॥
agastya uvāca | bhavān brahmā ca viṣṇuś ca trayam etat trayī smṛtā | dīpo 'gnir dopa-saṃyogaiḥ sarva-śāstreṣu sarvataḥ || 72.2 ||
agastya uvAcha | bhavAn brahmA cha viShNushcha trayametat trayI smRRitA | dIpo.agnirdopasaMyogaiH sarvashAstreShu sarvataH || 72.2 ||
Agastya disse: «Tu, Brahmā e Viṣṇu—esta tríade é lembrada como a “Trayī” (a forma védica tríplice). Assim como uma lâmpada se torna manifesta pelo fogo quando seus componentes se unem, assim este princípio é ensinado por toda parte em todos os śāstras.»
Sandhi Notes
- विष्णुश्च → विष्णुः च
- त्रयमेतत् → त्रयम् एतत्
- दीपोऽग्निः → दीपः अग्निः
- (दोपसंयोगैः as read; often ‘दोष-’ expected, but kept per given text.)
Agastya
How should the triad (you, Brahmā, Viṣṇu) be understood as ‘Trayī’ across śāstras, and how does their unity manifest like fire in a lamp through components?
One principle is taught through a triadic Vedic form; names/functions differ while essence is one.
Read sectarian triads (Brahmā–Viṣṇu–Rudra) as functional expressions of a single ultimate, avoiding literalistic rivalry.
The ‘Trayī’ is treated as a hermeneutic key: one reality appears as a triad through upādhi/functional differentiation, like fire’s luminosity becoming manifest as a lamp when supported by wick/oil/vessel—an analogy for Vedic threefoldness (ṛk-yajus-sāman) expressing one Brahman.
Lamp/fire analogy stands in for yajña-structure: fire (agni) is one, yet functions through multiple supports; similarly the one divine principle is spoken of in threefold Vedic articulation.
Bheda as vyavahāra (functional distinction) over an underlying abheda (non-dual ground); aligns with Vedāntic reading that śāstra uses multiple names/forms to indicate one tattva.
72.72.4 (Vedic siddhānta vs moha); 72.72.5 (etymology of Viṣṇu as pervasion); 72.72.6 (one-and-many descriptions of Viṣṇu)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic strategy of harmonizing major divine figures through a triadic framework (trayī), presented as consistent with wider śāstric tradition.
No geographic location is explicitly mentioned in this verse fragment.
Rather than an explicit ethical rule, the verse emphasizes interpretive consistency: core principles are presented as recurrent across śāstric sources, illustrated through an analogy (lamp/fire and constituent conjunction).
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.
