Varaha Purana 125.36 — Adhyaya 125, Shloka 36
The Cycle of Māyā
Illusory Causation and Perceptual Reversal
मेरुं मायामयं कृत्वा वहाम्यादित्यमेव च ॥ एवमाभाषते लोको जलं वा नश्यतेऽखिलम् ॥
meruṃ māyāmayaṃ kṛtvā vahāmy ādityam eva ca || evam ābhāṣate loko jalaṃ vā naśyate ’khilam ||
เมื่อทำให้เขาพระเมรุเป็นสิ่งประกอบด้วยมายา ข้าพเจ้าก็ทรงแบกอาทิตยะ (สุริยะ) ด้วย ดังนี้ผู้คนจึงกล่าวว่า ‘มิฉะนั้นน้ำทั้งปวงจักพินาศสิ้น’
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"What sustains environmental balance—Meru’s stability, the Sun’s bearing, and the preservation of waters—and how does māyā function as that support?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Meru as ‘māyā-maya’ indicates the cosmic mountain is a structured appearance upheld by divine power; bearing the Sun signifies the Lord’s role as dhāraṇa (support), preventing cosmic desiccation and collapse of waters.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Meru functions like the central altar/axis of the cosmic yajña; the Sun is the rite’s eye/timekeeper; Varāha as the bearer is the sacrificer sustaining ṛta so that ‘waters’ (life-supporting rasa) are not exhausted.","vedantic_connection":"Jagat as dependent reality (āśrita-sattā) on Īśvara; māyā is not mere illusion but the ordering potency that makes stable cosmography and ecological continuity possible."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmic order and environmental stability","core_concept":"Stability of the world (including waters) depends on divine dhāraṇa mediated through māyā—order is sustained, not accidental.","practical_application":"Adopt reverence for cosmic order as sacred ecology; interpret environmental balance as a dharmic trust requiring human restraint and gratitude."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Cosmology","Environmental Stability"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: cosmographic axis-mountain
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 125.41–42 (questions about where water/nectar abide; māyā-governed stability)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as cosmic bearer: Meru rendered as a luminous, slightly translucent ‘māyā-formed’ mountain; above/around it the Sun is shown being upheld, with rivers and oceans preserved below.","item_prompts":["towering Meru with terraces","Sun disc/chariot motif","Varāha’s supporting presence (hands/shoulders/aura)","flowing rivers and intact oceans","māyā as shimmering translucence around Meru","cloud bands and cosmic horizon"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural with stylized Meru tiers; Sun in ornate circle; Varāha’s divine aura supporting the axis; rich blues for waters emphasizing preservation.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf Sun and Meru highlights; embossed tiers; Varāha’s haloed support; deep enamel-like blues for oceans.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore-style soft gradients; emphasize translucence of ‘māyā-maya’ Meru; delicate water detailing; calm cosmic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature with crisp Meru geometry; bright Sun; narrative note about waters not perishing; Varāha subtly indicated as the sustaining deity in the sky."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-filled, steady","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"sonorous, expansive"}
FAQs
It reflects classical Indian cosmography where Meru and the Sun are structurally linked, offering evidence for how pre-modern texts model environmental stability through cosmic architecture.
Meru is a cosmographic mountain central to Purāṇic world-models; scholars treat it as a mythic axis rather than a single identifiable modern peak.
The implied principle is preservation of life-supporting systems (water) through maintaining balance—an ecological ethic expressed in cosmological terms.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in 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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.