Varaha Purana 49.32: Adhyaya 49, Shloka 32
The Padmanābha Dvādaśī Observance, with the Eulogy of Lamp-Offering Merit
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma and Bhakti (Social Ethics)
सा स्त्री धन्या तथा शूद्रो द्विजसुश्रूषणे रतः । तदनुज्ञया हरेर्भक्तिः स्त्री शूद्रो तेन साध्विति ॥ ४९.३२ ॥
sā strī dhanyā tathā śūdro dvija-suśrūṣaṇe rataḥ | tad-anujñayā harer bhaktiḥ strī śūdro tena sādhv iti || 49.32 ||
sA strI dhanyA tathA shUdro dvijasushrUShaNe rataH | tadanuj~nayA harerbhaktiH strI shUdro tena sAdhviti || 49.32 ||
Ang babaeng iyon ay itinuturing na mapalad, at gayundin ang Śūdra na masigasig sa paglilingkod sa mga dvija (dalawang-ulit na isinilang). Sa kanilang pahintulot, ang debosyon (bhakti) kay Hari ay pinupuri; dahil dito, ang babae at ang Śūdra ay tinatawag na sādhu, ang matuwid.
Sandhi Notes
- dvija-suśrūṣaṇe is a ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa compound
- tad-anujñayā is a ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa compound. sādhv iti = sādhu + iti (final -u before vowel elided in recitation/orthography)
Varāha
Bhakti is praised as universally elevating, yet expressed here through the Purāṇic dharma lens of anujñā (consent/authorization) and sevā as preparatory purification.
Practice devotion with humility and respect for one’s duties/relationships; seek guidance/permission where appropriate to keep harmony while cultivating Hari-bhakti.
A woman and a Śūdra devoted to serving the twice-born are praised; with the twice-born’s permission (anujñā), their devotion to Hari is commended, and by this they are deemed sādhvī/sādhu.
Service joined with sanctioned devotional practice yields virtue-status and merit; acting in defiance of social/household authority is implicitly discouraged as dharma-disruptive.
Hari-bhakti affirmed within social-dharma frame
Varāha Purāṇa 49.49.31 (dhanyatva via suśrūṣā and Hari-smaraṇa)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic-era discourse on social duty (dharma) and devotional practice (bhakti), presenting how virtue is articulated through service norms and sanctioned participation within a traditional social framework.
No geographic location is mentioned in this verse; the content is ethical and social rather than topographical.
The verse frames virtue and good standing in terms of devoted service (suśrūṣā) and devotion to Hari undertaken with appropriate consent (anujñā), emphasizing socially regulated conduct alongside devotional orientation.
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