Varaha Purana 142.21: Adhyaya 142, Shloka 21

The Greatness of Esoteric Practice: Menstrual Impurity, Mental Equanimity, and Seasonal Conjugal Ethics

Pūrva Bhāga · Yoga–Citta-nigraha (Mind-discipline and devotion)

Devanagari script

जाग्रतः स्वपतो वापि शृण्वतः पश्यतोऽपि वा ॥ यो मां चित्ते चिन्तयति मच्चिन्तस्य च किं भयम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 142.21

Transliteration

jāgrataḥ svapato vāpi śṛṇvataḥ paśyato ’pi vā | yo māṃ citte cintayati maccintasya ca kiṃ bhayam ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ไม่ว่าจะตื่นหรือหลับ ไม่ว่าจะฟังหรือแม้แต่ดูอยู่—ผู้ใดระลึกถึงเราไว้ในจิต; ผู้ที่ความคิดตั้งมั่นอยู่ในเรา จะมีความกลัวอันใดเล่า?

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Word by Word

• जाग्रतः: of (one) awake
• Type: Adjective
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘of one who is awake’ (genitive singular)
• Role: अधिकरण-सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: जाग्रत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• स्वपतः: of (one) sleeping
• Type: Adjective
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of one who sleeps’
• Role: अधिकरण-सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: स्वपत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle of alternative)
• Role: समुच्चय/विकल्प (Disjunction)
• Root: वा (अव्यय)

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)

• शृण्वतः: of (one) listening
• Type: Adjective
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of one who hears/listens’
• Role: अधिकरण-सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: शृण्वत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• पश्यतः: of (one) seeing
• Type: Adjective
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of one who sees’
• Role: अधिकरण-सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: पश्यत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)
• Role: समुच्चय/विकल्प (Disjunction)
• Root: वा (अव्यय)

• यः: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘who’
• Role: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• माम्: me
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘me’
• Role: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• चित्ते: in (the) mind
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative ‘in the mind’
• Role: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/अधिकरण)
• Root: चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)

• चिन्तयति: thinks of / meditates on
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘thinks/meditates’
• Role: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)

• मत्-चिन्तस्य: of one who thinks of me
• Type: Adjective
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘my-thought’; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of one whose thought is (on) me / of one thinking of me’
• Role: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: मत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चिन्त (प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)
• Role: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• किम्: what
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; interrogative ‘what?’ (here: ‘what (is)’)
• Role: विशेष्य/प्रश्न (Interrogative complement)
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• भयम्: fear
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘fear’
• Role: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• पश्यतोऽपि = पश्यतः + अपि
• मच्चिन्तस्य = मत् + चिन्तस्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
• वापि = वा + अपि

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Bhakti rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Seeking fearlessness and assurance

What she asks

How can one become fearless in all states—awake, asleep, hearing, seeing—through remembrance of the Lord?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Bhakti-yoga / mindfulness

Subjects

EthicsYogaDevotional practice

Core idea

Unbroken contemplation of the Lord in the heart grants abhaya (fearlessness) regardless of external state or sensory engagement.

In practice

Practice nāma-smaraṇa and heart-centered recollection during routine perception; set bedtime/awakening remembrance to bridge sleep and waking.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha teaches Bhū-devī continuous remembrance (smaraṇa) across waking/sleeping and sensory activity, removing fear.

Symbolism of the boar

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Mindfulness
• Soteriology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic synthesis of devotion (bhakti) with yogic interiorization (citta-cintā), a common medieval Sanskrit strategy for making liberation discourse accessible.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is psychological and ethical rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Sustained inner recollection/meditation is presented as a stabilizing discipline that diminishes fear.