Varaha Purana 3.6: Adhyaya 3, Shloka 6
Nārada’s Account of a Former Birth and a Hymn to Nārāyaṇa
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma-vidhi (Karma-kāṇḍa, Śrāddha and Yajña context)
एवं चिन्त्य मया इष्टः कर्मकाण्डेन केशवः । श्राद्धैश्च पितरो देवा यज्ञैश्चान्ये तथा जनाः ॥ ३.६ ॥
evaṁ cintya mayā iṣṭaḥ karmakāṇḍena keśavaḥ | śrāddhaiś ca pitaro devā yajñaiś cānye tathā janāḥ || 3.6 ||
evaM chintya mayA iShTaH karmakANDena keshavaH | shrAddhaishcha pitaro devA yaj~naishchAnye tathA janAH || 3.6 ||
ఇలా ఆలోచించి నేను కర్మకాండ విధానముతో కేశవుని ఆరాధించితిని. శ్రాద్ధకర్మల ద్వారా పితృదేవతలు మరియు దేవతలు పూజింపబడుతారు; యజ్ఞముల ద్వారా ఇతర జనులూ తృప్తి పొందుతారు.
Sandhi Notes
- यज्ञैश्चान्ये = यज्ञैः + च + अन्ये
- श्राद्धैश्च = श्राद्धैः + च. ‘चिन्त्य’ taken as gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त) from √चिन्त्
Varāha
Ritual action (karma-kāṇḍa) can be oriented to Keśava, integrating social-cosmic duties (pitṛ/deva obligations) with devotion.
Perform śrāddha and yajña with Viṣṇu-centered intention; treat duty as worship, and worship as the sanctification of duty.
The verse implicitly aligns Viṣṇu (Keśava) with the ritual order: karma-kāṇḍa acts as a means of harmonizing cosmic stakeholders (devas, pitṛs, humans), echoing the Yajña-Viṣṇu identity that culminates in Yajña-Varāha imagery elsewhere.
General mapping (implicit): Viṣṇu as the inner recipient/ground of yajña; śrāddha and yajña as channels through which cosmic reciprocity is maintained.
Karma as a preparatory purifier (citta-śuddhi) leading toward higher knowledge; the Lord as antaryāmin who receives offerings through prescribed forms.
Perform śrāddha to honor and satisfy the Pitṛs; perform yajñas to satisfy devas and other beings; worship Keśava through karma-kāṇḍa as part of dharmic life.
Proper śrāddha/yajña brings satisfaction (tṛpti) to pitṛs/devas and accrues puṇya supporting welfare here and hereafter; neglect leads to pitṛ-aprīti and loss of merit.
Keśava named as the worshipped Lord; general Vaiṣṇava theism that later Purāṇas connect to Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu identity, but no Mathurā-specific link here.
Varāha Purāṇa: dharma and śrāddha discussions; passages where Viṣṇu is praised as yajña-bhoktā
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic synthesis of Vedic ritual culture, presenting śrāddha and yajña as socially and cosmically integrative practices within the broader dharma discourse.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on ritual categories (karma-kāṇḍa, śrāddha, yajña) rather than sacred geography.
The verse frames ritual action as a means of honoring multiple constituencies—deity, ancestors, and society—emphasizing responsibility and reciprocity rather than sectarian exclusivity.
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.
