Varaha Purana 32.3: Adhyaya 32, Shloka 3
Dharma as the Bull-Form: Soma’s Transgression and the Institution of the Thirteenth Lunar Day Observance
तं दृष्ट्वोवाच भगवान्श्चतुष्पादं वृषाकृतिम् । पालयेमाः प्रजाः साधो त्वं ज्येष्ठो जगतो भव ॥ ३२.४ ॥
taṃ dṛṣṭvovāca bhagavāṃś catuṣpādaṃ vṛṣākṛtim | pālayemāḥ prajāḥ sādho tvaṃ jyeṣṭho jagato bhava || 32.4 ||
అతనిని చూచి భగవంతుడు నాలుగు పాదములు గల వృషభాకృతిని ఉద్దేశించి పలికెను—“సాధువా, ఈ ప్రజలను పాలించు; నీవు జగత్తులో జ్యేష్ఠుడవు కమ్ము.”
Varāha (default per primary dialogue framework; explicit 'bhagavān' as speaker)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical-political motif: the legitimacy of authority is tied to prajā-pālana (protection of subjects). The bull-form imagery also intersects with older Indic symbols of dharma and social order.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it functions as a directive within a narrative scene rather than a site-description.
The verse foregrounds stewardship and responsibility: the addressed figure is instructed to protect the prajā (subjects/creatures) and to assume a leading role defined by guardianship rather than domination.
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