Varaha Purana 167.7: Adhyaya 167, Shloka 7

The Glory of the Viśrānti Tīrtha and the Account of a Rākṣasa’s Liberation

Uttara Bhāga · Gṛhastha as Social Foundation (Normative Statement)

Devanagari script

गार्हस्थ्यं सर्वधर्माणां श्रेष्ठमुक्तं स्वयम्भुवा ॥ यावन्ति जन्तवः सर्वे यथा गोः सर्वतः स्थिताः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 167.7

Transliteration

gārhasthyaṃ sarvadharmāṇāṃ śreṣṭham uktaṃ svayambhuvā || yāvanti jantavaḥ sarve yathā goḥ sarvataḥ sthitāḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

స్వయంభువు గార్హస్థ్యాన్ని సమస్త ధర్మాలలో శ్రేష్ఠమని ప్రకటించాడు; ఎలా అంటే, సమస్త జీవులు అన్ని వైపులా గోవు ఆధారంగా నిలిచినట్లుగా (ఆమె వల్ల పోషింపబడినట్లుగా).

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Word by Word

• gārhasthyam: householder-stage (gṛhastha-āśrama)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: gārhasthya (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarva-dharmāṇām: of all duties/dharmas
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)

• śreṣṭham: the best
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); superlative adjective agreeing with gārhasthyam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)

• uktam: said/declared
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); passive sense
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Predicative)
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)

• svayambhuvā: by Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Root: svayambhū (प्रातिपदिक)

• yāvanti: as many as
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/1 or द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); correlating with sarve (jantavaḥ) in sense ‘as many as’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)

• jantavaḥ: creatures/beings
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarve: all
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with jantavaḥ
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)

• yathā: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); comparative particle/conjunction
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Correlative)
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)

• goḥ: of a cow
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarvataḥ: on all sides/everywhere
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); adverb
• Role: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय)

• sthitāḥ: are situated/stand
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past active participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with jantavaḥ
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• sarvadharmāṇām analyzed as tatpuruṣa compound (sarva+dharma)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Vatsalya rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Relieved

What she asks

What makes gārhasthya the ‘श्रेष्ठ’ (foremost) dharma, and how does it sustain all beings like the cow sustains society?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Social dharma / interdependence

Subjects

EthicsSocial organization (āśrama)Cultural economy (cow imagery)

Core idea

Interdependence: the gṛhastha’s productive, generous life sustains students, forest-dwellers, renunciants, and dependents—dharma as mutual support.

In practice

Practice pañca-mahāyajña ideals: daily worship, hospitality, feeding beings, study/teaching, and giving—treat wealth as stewardship.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Āśrama System
• Purāṇic Social Thought
• Classical Sanskrit
• Dharma Literature

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It expresses a widely attested Indic social theory: the householder stage sustains other life-stages through material and social support.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified; the verse uses a general metaphor (the cow) for social sustenance.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Gārhasthya is presented as a foundational ethical-social institution, ideally providing support for broader communal life.