Varaha Purana 52.10 — Adhyaya 52, Shloka 10

The Genealogy of Trivarṇa, Manohvā, and the Akṣa Lineage, with the Construction of the Nine-Gated City

Devanagari script

चतुर्वक्त्रं चतुर्बाहुं चतुर्वेदं चतुष्पथम् । तस्मादारभ्य नृपतेर्वशे पश्वादयः स्थिताः ॥ ५२.१० ॥

Transliteration

caturvaktraṃ caturbāhuṃ caturvedaṃ catuṣpatham | tasmād ārabhya nṛpater vaśe paśvādayaḥ sthitāḥ || 52.10 ||

Translation

ఆయన చతుర్ముఖుడు, చతుర్భుజుడు, చతుర్వేదసంబంధుడు, చతుష్పథాధిపతి; అప్పటినుంచి పశువులు మొదలైనవి రాజు వశంలో నిలిచాయి.

Word by Word

• catur-vaktraṃ: four-faced

• catur-bāhuṃ: four-armed

• catur-vedaṃ: (connected with) the four Vedas / embodying the four Vedas

• catuṣ-patham: fourfold road, crossroads

• tasmāt: from that

• ārabhya: beginning (from), starting with

• nṛpateḥ: of the king

• vaśe: under the control, in subjection

• paśu-ādayaḥ: animals and others

• sthitāḥ: stood, remained

Speaker

Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Legitimate sovereignty is marked by fourfold authority (faces/arms/veda/paths) and results in orderly control of animals and beings—sign of well-governed realm.","karmic_consequence":"When kingship aligns with dharma, subjects (including animals) remain regulated and protected; when misaligned, chaos and harm proliferate."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The repeated ‘catur-’ encodes totality and governance of the quarters: four faces/arms = omnidirectional oversight; four Vedas = śruti-based authority; four roads = regulation of social movement and liminal spaces (crossroads as dharma-testing points).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: Veda-centered fourfoldness suggests yajña as the backbone of order, though not explicitly mapped to Varāha’s body here.","vedantic_connection":"Fourfoldness as vyāpti (pervasion) of īśvara’s order in space (dik), knowledge (veda), and action (bāhu), implying dharma as cosmic structure."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"political theology","core_concept":"Authority is complete when grounded in śruti and capable action, extending protection and regulation across all directions and social pathways.","practical_application":"For leaders: base policy on enduring principles (not impulse), ensure capacity to act, and maintain order especially at ‘crossroads’—points of transition, trade, and moral risk."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Political Ethics","Iconography","Social Order"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: realm/roads (catuṣpatha)

Cross References

Related Themes: 52.52.6-9 (build-up: transformation, Vedic recollection, ritual discipline, yoganidrā leading to this fourfold authority)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A majestic figure (or the king’s son) depicted with four faces and four arms, surrounded by symbols of the four Vedas and a crossroads motif; animals stand calmly under his dominion.","item_prompts":["four-faced, four-armed figure","Veda symbols (manuscripts, chanting priests, śruti emblems)","crossroads with four directions marked","calm cattle and other animals in orderly groups","royal insignia (banner, parasol)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal four-faced figure with symmetrical arms, Vedic emblems in hands, stylized crossroads mandala beneath, animals arranged in balanced tiers; bold outlines and saturated colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf halo and ornaments, embossed four faces, four arms holding Veda symbols; ornate crossroads pedestal; richly decorated animals and attendants.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: classical proportion, refined facial expressions for each face, subtle gold accents, detailed Veda manuscripts, serene animals in foreground.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative tableau with a four-armed/four-faced central figure, delicate landscape with a visible four-way path, charming animal groups, cool and lyrical palette."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic proclamation","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"resonant, authoritative, with emphatic articulation of the repeated ‘catur-’"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse reflects a common Purāṇic strategy of linking iconographic/cosmological descriptors (four faces, four arms, four Vedas, crossroads) with models of governance, indicating how sacred symbolism and political order are narrated together in Sanskrit textual traditions.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific toponym is named in this verse. The term catuṣpatha refers generically to a crossroads or four-road junction, a culturally significant spatial marker in South Asian settlement and ritual vocabulary rather than a single identifiable location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse presents an ideal of ordered governance: living beings (here ‘animals and others’) are described as coming under regulated royal control, implying a normative framework of stewardship, restraint, and administrative responsibility rather than unbounded domination.