Varaha Purana 36.16: Adhyaya 36, Shloka 16
Account of the Maṇija Kings and a Hymn to Govinda Leading to Liberation
परोऽसि देव प्रवरः सुराणां पुंसः स्वरूपोऽसि शशिप्रकाशः । हुताशवक्त्राच्युत तीव्रभाव गोपेन्द्र मां पाहि भवे पतन्तम् ॥ ३६.१६ ॥
paro ’si deva pravaraḥ surāṇāṃ puṃsaḥ svarūpo ’si śaśiprakāśaḥ | hutāśavaktrācyuta tīvrabhāva gopendra māṃ pāhi bhave patantam || 36.16 ||
హే దేవా, నీవు పరముడవు; దేవతలలో శ్రేష్ఠుడవు. నీవు పరమపురుషుని స్వరూపము, చంద్రప్రకాశంలా దీప్తిమంతుడు. హే అచ్యుతా, అగ్నివంటి ముఖముగలవాడా, తీవ్రమైన శక్తిగలవాడా, హే గోపేంద్రా—భవంలో పడిపోతున్న నన్ను రక్షించు।
Pṛthivī (default speaker per dialogue framework; verse is a supplicatory hymn addressed to a divine protector)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"falling/overwhelmed (patantam), fearful yet trusting","key_question":"Implicit plea: protect me as I fall into bhava; how does the transcendent Lord save the sinking being?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Gopendra epithet is compatible with later Kṛṣṇa-bhakti vocabulary, but the verse’s imagery (moon-radiance, fire-mouth, Acyuta) is general Vaiṣṇava theology rather than Mathurā-specific."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The hymn juxtaposes cool lunar radiance (śaśi-prakāśa) with fiery potency (hutāśa-vaktra), expressing the Lord’s dual capacity: soothing grace and consuming power that burns obstacles/adharma—traits often attributed to cosmic Viṣṇu/Varāha as both sustainer and fierce protector.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Only suggestive: ‘fire-mouth’ can be read through yajña imagery (Agni as mouth of gods), but no explicit Varāha-yajña body correspondences are given.","vedantic_connection":"Transcendent yet accessible Īśvara (paro’pi) as Puruṣa-svarūpa; grace (anugraha) rescues the jīva ‘falling’ in saṃsāra, integrating bhakti with metaphysical supremacy."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology/soteriology","core_concept":"The supreme Puruṣa is both gentle (moonlike) and formidable (firelike); surrender to Acyuta is protection for the being slipping into saṃsāra.","practical_application":"Balance devotion with contemplation of divine transcendence; in moments of moral/spiritual ‘falling,’ renew śaraṇāgati and disciplined practice (japa, smaraṇa)."}
Subject Matter: ["Theology (epithets of Viṣṇu/Varāha)","Soteriology (deliverance from saṃsāra)","Devotional Literature"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring Acyuta/Gopendra epithets in stuti sequences
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The devotee is depicted as slipping/falling toward a dark whirl of bhava, while the transcendent Lord—moon-bright yet with a fiery mouth/aura—extends protection.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu/Acyuta with contrasting cool halo and fiery mouth/aura","devotee falling toward a dark vortex","protective hand gesture","moon motif behind the deity","flame motif near the face/mouth"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong contrast bands—cool blue-white lunar aura and warm red-orange flame motif; stylized falling figure; ornate framing.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf moon-halo, embossed flame details; dramatic central deity; falling devotee below; rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: subtle dual-light rendering (cool and warm); expressive compassionate face; refined depiction of the falling motion.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic duality—silver moon disc and stylized flame; simplified vortex; tender rescue gesture in a minimal landscape."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"urgent yet consoling","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"deep, compassionate, with heightened intensity on ‘tīvra-bhāva’ and ‘māṃ pāhi’"}
FAQs
It exemplifies the Purāṇic stuti (praise-hymn) style, compiling multiple epithets to identify a supreme protective deity; such verses are important for tracing devotional vocabulary and theological synthesis in medieval Sanskrit manuscript traditions.
No specific geographic toponym appears in this verse; the focus is on divine attributes and the speaker’s request for protection from bhava (worldly becoming).
The verse foregrounds humility and the pursuit of liberation-oriented refuge: acknowledging human vulnerability within bhava and seeking protection through disciplined supplication rather than asserting worldly power.
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