Varaha Purana 113.4: Adhyaya 113, Shloka 4
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
Pūrva Bhāga · Narrative Frame (Earth previously lifted; inquiry begins)
यस्मिन्काले क्षितिः पूर्वकल्पे वाराह मूर्तिना ॥ उद्धृता च यया भक्त्या पप्रच्छ परमेश्वरम् ॥
yasmin kāle kṣitiḥ pūrva-kalpe vārāha-mūrtinā || uddhṛtā ca yayā bhaktyā papraccha parameśvaram ||
yasminkAle kShitiH pUrvakalpe vArAha mUrtinA || uddhRRitA cha yayA bhaktyA paprachCha parameshvaram
పూర్వకల్పంలో వరాహమూర్తి ద్వారా భూమి ఉద్ధరించబడిన ఆ సమయంలో, ఆమె అదే భక్తితో పరమేశ్వరుణ్ణి ప్రశ్నించింది।
Sandhi Notes
- yasmin kāle (from yasmin+kāle; anusvāra before k)
- pūrva-kalpe and vārāha-mūrtinā are compounds
- papraccha is perfect (liṭ) of pra-√prach
Narrator
Devotional and curious (bhaktyā… papraccha)
Implied: she is about to ask the Supreme Lord foundational questions prompted by being rescued—typically dharma, vratas, and the means of welfare for beings.
Right questioning arises from gratitude and devotion after experiencing grace; revelation is contextualized as a response to sincere inquiry.
Approach dharma/vrata teachings with bhakti and humility; let lived experience of protection/benefit mature into deeper questions.
Varāha-mūrti (boar embodiment) mentioned without further physical description
He lifts the Earth in a former kalpa; the rescue becomes the occasion for her devoted questioning.
The verse explicitly sets the Purāṇic pedagogy: cosmic salvation leads into instruction—rescue (uddhāra) becomes the ground for dharma-upadeśa. Varāha is both savior and teacher by narrative design.
Implicit: the transition from cosmic act to discourse mirrors yajña’s two poles—kriyā (act) and jñāna (meaning).
Bhakti (devotion) is presented as the proper epistemic posture for receiving highest teaching (parama-īśvara-prashna): surrender precedes inquiry.
Varāha Purāṇa’s overarching Bhū–Varāha saṃvāda frame
FAQs
It signals a classic Purāṇic dialogic setup: a cosmological event (Earth’s restoration) becomes the trigger for doctrinal and ethical questioning.
No geographic location is named; the verse situates events in mythic time (a former kalpa).
Inquiry is framed as arising from devotion and restored order—knowledge-seeking follows the re-stabilization of the world.
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