Varaha Purana 1.3: Adhyaya 1, Shloka 3
Praise of Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Foundational Questions
सूत उवाच । यस्मिन् काले क्षितिः पूर्वं वराहवपुषा तु सा । उद्धृता विष्णुना भक्त्या पप्रच्छ परमेश्वरम् ॥ १.४ ॥
sūta uvāca | yasmin kāle kṣitiḥ pūrvaṁ varāhavapuṣā tu sā | uddhṛtā viṣṇunā bhaktyā papraccha parameśvaram || 1.4 ||
สูตะกล่าวว่า: ในกาลก่อน เมื่อพระวิษณุทรงอวตารเป็นวราหะและทรงยกแผ่นดินขึ้นแล้ว แผ่นดินนั้นได้ทูลถามพระปรเมศวรด้วยความภักดี.
Sūta
He has lifted up the Earth; immediately after rescue, she approaches him with devotion and questions him.
‘Varāha-vapuṣā’—Viṣṇu in the body/form of Varāha; no further physical detail here.
Introduces that Bhū-devī will inquire into the Supreme—setting up questions about his nature and creation.
devotional and curious (bhaktyā… papraccha) after being rescued
The rescue becomes the precondition for revelation: once the world is stabilized, dharma-knowledge can be transmitted; Bhū-devī’s bhakti turns cosmic event into didactic dialogue.
Not explicit; the narrative pivot (uddhāra → praśna) mirrors yajña logic: restoration of order enables teaching of order.
Bhakti as the doorway to tattva-jijñāsā: the Earth’s devotion leads to inquiry into the Supreme (parama-īśvara) and cosmogony.
Right questioning arises from bhakti and gratitude after divine support; inquiry is framed as a sacred response to grace.
Approach scripture/teachers after ‘stabilizing’ one’s life through dharma; ask foundational questions with humility and devotion.
Directly leads into Dharaṇī’s speech (1.1.5–1.1.6).
FAQs
It establishes the Purāṇic framing device: Sūta narrates an earlier cosmic event (the Earth’s restoration) that becomes the setting for a didactic dialogue, a common compositional strategy in Purāṇa literature.
No specific terrestrial location is named in this verse; it refers broadly to the Earth (kṣiti) within a cosmic-restoration narrative.
Implicitly, the verse foregrounds a stewardship motif: the Earth is portrayed as worthy of restoration and care, and inquiry (papraccha) is presented as a legitimate path to receiving guidance from the highest authority in the narrative.
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.
