Varaha Purana 73.18 — Adhyaya 73, Shloka 18

Rudra’s Hymn: Vision of Nārāyaṇa, the Emergence of the Ādityas, and the Mutual Boon of Hari and Hara

Devanagari script

समस्तविश्वार्थिहाराय शम्भवे सहस्रसूर्यानिलतिग्मतेजसे । समस्तविद्याविधृताय चक्रिणे समस्तगीर्वाणनुते सदाऽनघ ॥ ७३.१८ ॥

Transliteration

samastaviśvārthihārāya śambhave sahasrasūryānilatigmatejase | samastavidyāvidhṛtāya cakriṇe samastagīrvāṇanute sadā'nagha || 73.18 ||

Translation

समस्तविश्वार्थिहाराय शम्भवे, सहस्रसूर्यानिलतिग्मतेजसे। समस्तविद्याविधृताय चक्रिणे, समस्तगीर्वाणनुते सदाऽनघ॥

Word by Word

• samasta: all, entire

• viśva: world, universe

• ārti: distress, affliction

• hāra: remover

• śambhu/śambhava: Śiva (beneficent one)

• sahasra: thousand

• sūrya: sun

• anila: wind

• tigma: sharp, keen

• tejas: radiance, energy

• samasta: all

• vidyā: knowledge, learning

• vidhṛta: upheld, borne

• cakrin: discus-wielder (epithet also used for Viṣṇu)

• gīrvāṇa: god, divine being (deva)

• nute: (is) praised

• sadā: always

• anagha: faultless, sinless

Speaker

Varāha (default, as speaker is not explicit in the provided fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"reassured (theme: removal of world-affliction)","key_question":"How does the Supreme remove universal suffering, and how can seemingly sectarian titles converge in one ultimate referent?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Syncretic epithets (Śambhu + cakrin) point to a single supreme agency behind protection and knowledge; ‘thousand suns’ radiance signifies the purifying, ignorance-dispelling power that ‘removes afflictions’.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Radiance as sacrificial fire (agni) at cosmic scale; cakra as ṛta-enforcing wheel/order; ‘all-knowledge bearer’ as Veda upheld in the deity.","vedantic_connection":"Knowledge (vidyā) and power (tejas) are not separate from compassion (world-affliction removal): īśvara as both jñāna-svarūpa and anugraha-kartṛ."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theodicy/compassionate sovereignty","core_concept":"The Supreme’s radiance and knowledge are instruments of grace that remove the world’s afflictions; divine names can be many while the reality is one.","practical_application":"Invoke the deity as duḥkha-hara in संकट; pursue vidyā and ethical purity to align with that grace; avoid sectarian hostility in devotion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Theology (Purāṇic hymnody)","Philosophical ethics (removal of suffering)","Inter-sectarian epithets (shared divine titles)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vīra

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Geographic Context

Type: hymnic/cosmic

Cross References

Related Themes: 73.73.17, 73.73.19 (epithet-chain)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A blazing, sinless deity radiating like a thousand suns, holding the discus, while gods gather in reverent praise; the atmosphere suggests the lifting of worldly sorrow.","item_prompts":["discus (cakra) prominently","solar corona / intense light","assembly of devas in añjali","wind-swept banners to hint ‘anila-tigma-tejas’","scripture/vidyā symbols (pustaka) as ‘all-knowledge’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: central radiant cakra-bearing deity, devas in tiers, stylized flame-and-ray patterns, strong reds/golds, symmetrical composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf radiance, embossed cakra, jeweled ornaments, devas as smaller figures, ornate arch with sun motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant cakra depiction, controlled brilliance, devas delicately painted, calm yet powerful expression of anagha.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: luminous sun-disc backdrop, delicate devas, dynamic wind lines, devotional gathering in a serene mountainous-cosmos palette."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"triumphant yet protective","suggested_raga":"Kedāra","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"bright, ringing, emphasizing tejas-words"}

Tags

• Purāṇa
• Sanskrit Stotra
• Classical Literature
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Shared Epithets

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic stotra-style composition, where a deity is praised through dense epithets and cosmic imagery (e.g., “thousand suns”), reflecting a common literary mode for framing narrative authority and devotional orientation.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; it functions as a hymn of praise rather than a sacred-geography reference.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the ideal of alleviating universal suffering (“remover of the world’s afflictions”) and presents faultlessness (anagha) as a normative spiritual attribute, expressed in a non-prescriptive, laudatory form.