Varaha Purana - Adhyaya 65
Varaha PuranaAdhyaya 6513 Shlokas

Adhyaya 65: The Sovereignty Vow and the Cycle of Tithi-Based Observances

Sārvabhauma-vrata tathā Tithi-vratāni

Ritual-Manual

Sa tagpuang pagtuturo nina Varāha at Pṛthivī, inilalahad ang isang maikling manwal ng mga panata (vrata) na nakaugnay sa mga tithi at buwan. Itinatakda ang sārvabhauma-vrata na magsimula sa maliwanag na ikasampu ng Kārttika: pag-aayuno sa araw, pag-aalay ng dalisay na bali sa mga direksiyon, paggalang sa mga pantas na brāhmaṇa sa pamamagitan ng mga bulaklak, at pagbigkas ng panalanging pang-direksiyon para sa tagumpay sa maraming kapanganakan; saka kakain sa gabi ng inihandang pagkain, lalo na ang kaning may gatas-asim (curd-rice). Pagkatapos, inililista ang mga tithi-vrata—Ekādaśī, Trayodaśī, Caturdaśī, Paurṇamāsī, at Amāvāsyā—na inuugnay sa kasaganaan, paglilinis, at maharlikang “digvijaya.” Pinatitingkad ang bunga sa pangmatagalang pagsunod, hanggang ituring na katumbas ng malalaking handog-Vediko, at itinatampok ang huwarang kadalisayan ng asal at ritwal na sumusuporta sa maayos na pamamahala at katatagan ng daigdig sa pamamagitan ng wastong pagkain at pag-aalay.

Speakers

VarāhaPṛthivī

Key Concepts

sārvabhauma-vrata (vow for universal sovereignty)tithi-vrata (lunar-day observances)Kārttika śukla-daśamī (bright tenth of Kārttika)bali to the directions (dik-bali) and directional propitiationnaktāśana (night-only eating) and regulated consumptionVaiṣṇava Ekādaśī vratadhana/prāpti (wealth acquisition) and political success (digvijaya)pāpa-kṣaya (removal of demerit) through repeated observance
Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana Adhyaya 65

Shlokas in Adhyaya 65

Verse 1

अगस्त्य उवाच । सार्वभौमव्रतं चान्यत् कथयामि समासतः । येन सम्यक्कृतेनाशु सार्वभौमो नृपो भवेत् ॥ ६५.१ ॥

Wika ni Agastya: “Isasalaysay ko rin nang maikli ang isa pang pagtalima na tinatawag na Sārvabhauma-vrata; sa wastong pagsasagawa nito, ang isang hari ay maaaring mabilis na maging pangkalahatang soberano (cakravartin).”

Verse 2

कार्तिकस्य तु मासस्य दशमी शुक्लपक्षिका । तस्यां नक्ताशनो नित्यं दिक्षु शुद्धबलिं हरेत् ॥ ६५.२ ॥

Sa ikasampung araw ng buwan (daśamī) ng maliwanag na kalahati sa buwan ng Kārtika, dapat laging kumain lamang sa gabi; at sa mga direksiyon ay maghandog ng dalisay na bali (handog-ritwal).

Verse 3

विचित्रैः कुसुमैर्भक्त्या पूजयित्वा द्विजोत्तमान् । दिशां तु प्रार्थनां कुर्यान् मन्त्रेणानेन सुव्रतः । सर्वा भवन्त्यः सिद्ध्यन्तु मम जन्मनि जन्मनि ॥ ६५.३ ॥

Matapos parangalan nang may debosyon ang mga pinakadakila sa mga “dalawang-beses na isinilang” sa pamamagitan ng sari-saring bulaklak, ang masunuring tagapagpanata ay dapat manalangin sa mga direksiyon sa pamamagitan ng mantrang ito: “Nawa’y matupad para sa akin ang lahat ng ito, sa bawat kapanganakan, kapanganakan man.”

Verse 4

एवमुक्त्वा बलिं तासु दत्त्वा शुद्धेन चेतसा । ततो रात्रौ तु भुञ्जीत दध्यन्नं तु सुसंस्कृतम् ॥ ६५.४ ॥

Pagkasabi nito, at matapos ihandog sa kanila ang bali nang may dalisay na isipan, saka sa gabi ay kumain ng kaning hinaluan ng dadhi (maasim na gatas/yogurt) na maayos ang pagkakaluto.

Verse 5

पूर्वं पश्चाद्यथेष्टं तु एवं संवत्सरं नृप । यः करोति नरो नित्यं तस्य दिग्विजयो भवेत् ॥ ६५.५ ॥

O hari, ang taong palagiang nagsasagawa nito sa loob ng isang taon sa ganitong paraan—una sa silangan at saka sa kanluran, ayon sa nais niya—ay magkakamit ng pagwawagi sa lahat ng panig (digvijaya).

Verse 6

एकादश्यां तु यत्नेन नरः कुर्याद् यथाविधि । मार्गशीर्षे शुक्लपक्षादारभ्याब्दं विचक्षणः । तद् व्रतं धनदस्येष्टं कृतं वित्तं प्रयच्छति ॥ ६५.६ ॥

Ngunit sa araw ng Ekādaśī, dapat isagawa ng tao nang may pag-iingat ang panata ayon sa itinakdang tuntunin. Mula sa maliwanag na kalahati ng buwan ng Mārgaśīrṣa, ang marunong ay dapat magpanatili nito sa loob ng isang taon. Ang panatang ito, na minamahal ni Dhanada (Kubera), kapag isinagawa ay nagkakaloob ng kayamanan.

Verse 7

एकादश्यां निराहारो यो भुङ्क्ते द्वादशीदिने । शुक्ले वाऽप्यथवा कृष्णे तद्व्रतं वैष्णवं महत् ॥ ६५.७ ॥

Sinumang mag-ayuno sa Ekādaśī at kumain sa araw ng Dvādaśī—maging sa maliwanag man o madilim na kalahati ng buwan—ang panatang iyon ay tinatawag na dakilang panatang Vaiṣṇava.

Verse 8

एवं चीर्णसुघोराणि हन्ति पापानि रपार्थिव । त्रयोदश्यां तु नक्तेन धर्मव्रतमथोच्यते ॥ ६५.८ ॥

Sa gayon, kapag naisagawa ang gayong napakahigpit na mga pagtalima, winawasak nito ang mga kasalanan, O Inang Daigdig. At sa araw ng Trayodaśī, ang panatang kumakain lamang sa gabi ay tinatawag na dharma-vrata, isang disiplina na naaayon sa dharma.

Verse 9

शुक्लपक्षे फाल्गुनस्य तथारभ्य विचक्षणः । रौद्रं व्रतं चतुर्दश्यां कृष्णपक्षे विशेषतः । माघमासादथारभ्य पूर्णं संवत्सरं नृप ॥ ६५.९ ॥

O marunong na hari, simula sa maliwanag na kalahati ng buwan ng Phālguna, dapat isagawa ang Raudra-vrata—lalo na sa ika-labing-apat na araw sa madilim na kalahati. Mula sa buwan ng Māgha, tapusin ito sa loob ng isang buong taon.

Verse 10

इन्दुव्रतं पञ्चदश्यां शुक्लायां नक्तभोजनम् । पितृव्रतममावास्यामिति राजन् तथेरितम् ॥ ६५.१० ॥

“Ang Indu-vrata ay isinasagawa sa ika-labing-limang araw ng maliwanag na kalahati, na kumakain lamang sa gabi; at ang Pitṛ-vrata ay sa araw ng Amāvāsyā (bagong buwan)”—ganyan, O hari, ang ipinahayag.

Verse 11

दश पञ्च च वर्षाणि य एवṃ कुरुते नृप । तिथिव्रतानि कस्तस्य फलं व्रतप्रमाणतः ॥ ६५.११ ॥

O hari, ang sinumang nagsasagawa nang ganito sa loob ng sampu at limang taon—sino ang makapagsasaysay nang ganap ng bunga ng mga panatang nakaugnay sa mga tithi (petsa sa kalendaryong lunar), ayon sa sukat ng panata?

Verse 12

अश्वमेधसहस्राणि राजसूयशतानि च । यष्टानि तेन राजेन्द्र कल्पोक्ताः क्रतवस्तथा ॥ ६५.१२ ॥

O dakilang hari, sa kanya ay naisagawa ang libu-libong handog na Aśvamedha at daan-daang ritong Rājasūya; gayundin, ang iba pang mga kratu (sakripisyong ritwal) na itinakda sa kalpa ay naisakatuparan din.

Verse 13

एकमेव कृतं हन्ति व्रतं पापानि नित्यशः । यः पुनः सर्वमेतद्धि कुर्यान्नरवरात्मज । स शुद्धो विरजो लोकानाप्नोति सकलं नृप ॥ ६५.१३ ॥

Kahit isang panata lamang, kapag isinagawa, ay patuloy na pumupuksa sa mga kasalanan. Ngunit ang sinumang, O anak ng pinakamainam sa mga tao, na magsagawa ng lahat ng ito—siya’y nalilinis, walang dungis, at nakakamit ang lahat ng mga daigdig, O hari.

Inside Adhyaya 65

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī didactic frame, the discourse shifts into a compact vrata-manual: how sovereignty, prosperity, and purification are pursued through disciplined, repeatable observances synchronized to lunar tithis and specific months.

  2. Central event

    Enumeration and instruction of the sārvabhauma-vrata beginning on Kārttika śukla-daśamī: daytime fasting, dik-bali (purified offerings to the directions), honoring learned brāhmaṇas with flowers, reciting a directional prayer for success across births, and naktāśana (night-only eating), with a noted meal pattern such as curd-rice.

  3. Climax resolution

    The teaching expands into a calendrical cycle of tithi-vratas—Ekādaśī, Trayodaśī, Caturdaśī, Paurṇamāsī, and Amāvāsyā—each mapped to distinct fruits (pāpa-kṣaya, dhana, śuddhi, pitṛ-prīti, and royal digvijaya). The cumulative logic is that long-term, correctly timed restraint and offerings generate a moral-ritual authority that stabilizes rule and life across births.

  4. Closing phalashruti

    Merit is amplified by sustained observance (often framed as year-long cycles), with claims of equivalence to major Vedic sacrifices and the attainment of prosperity, purification, and sovereign success; the ideal outcome is orderly governance grounded in self-regulation and ritual purity.

Geographical context

No explicit terrestrial toponyms (cities, rivers, forests) are named in this passage. Spatial framing occurs through ritual geography: the eight directions (dik) as loci for offerings (bali) and prayer, indicating a cosmographic orientation rather than a specific regional landscape.

Tirtha focus

  • Pilgrimage MeritNo named tīrtha is prescribed; the chapter relocates ‘sacred geography’ into ritual space via the eight directions (dik) and their propitiation, presenting merit as arising from correctly oriented offerings and calendrical discipline rather than travel to a specific site.

Ritual instructions

  • Primary RitualSārvabhauma-vrata (vow for universal sovereignty) initiated on Kārttika śukla-daśamī, integrated with a broader cycle of tithi-vratas (Ekādaśī, Trayodaśī, Caturdaśī, Paurṇamāsī, Amāvāsyā).
  • BenefitPāpa-kṣaya (removal of demerit), prosperity and wealth-acquisition (dhana/prāpti), purification and steadiness of conduct, pitṛ-satisfaction on Amāvāsyā, and political success framed as digvijaya/sovereignty; long-term observance is praised as rivaling the merit of major Vedic sacrifices.

The narrative frame

  • Agastya (as immediate instructor within the transmitted narration), within the overarching Varāha–Pṛthivī instructional settingA royal addressee (nṛpa/rājendra) implied; the broader frame includes Pṛthivī as recipient of Varāha’s teaching · Didactic, prescriptive, and calendrical—more manual-like than story-driven, emphasizing repeatability, purity, and correct timing

The emotional journey

  • Dominant RasaŚānta (tranquil discipline) with a secondary Vīra (sovereign/royal aspiration)
  • Emotional ProgressionFrom instructional sobriety (rules of fasting and offerings) to confidence-building assurance (directional prayer and promised fruits), culminating in an elevated sense of moral authority and stability through long-term observance.

Planning a pilgrimage

  • Visit FeasibilityNot tīrtha-specific; the observances are home/temple-performable wherever one can maintain purity, directional offerings, and tithi timing. A Vaiṣṇava temple setting can support Ekādaśī discipline, while Amāvāsyā rites may be coordinated with local ancestral-rite traditions.
  • Best SeasonKārttika (Oct–Nov) for commencing the sārvabhauma-vrata; Māgha (Jan–Feb) is highlighted for initiating the year-long Caturdaśī emphasis; Mārgaśīrṣa (Nov–Dec) is noted for a year-long wealth-yielding start.
  • Related FestivalKārttika observances broadly (including Vaiṣṇava Kārttika month disciplines); Ekādaśī days throughout the year; Amāvāsyā for pitṛ-related rites.

Frequently Asked Questions

The text foregrounds disciplined, repeatable ritual conduct—fasting regulations, purified offerings, honoring learned persons, and calendrical consistency—as a means to cultivate personal purity (pāpa-kṣaya) and social order. Within the narrative’s didactic frame, sovereignty and prosperity are presented as outcomes of self-regulation and correct ritual timing rather than mere force, implying that stable governance is rooted in restrained consumption and structured obligations.

The sārvabhauma-vrata begins on Kārttika śukla-daśamī (bright tenth of Kārttika) with naktāśana and directional bali. Additional tithi-vratas are assigned to Ekādaśī (with observance patterns spanning śukla and kṛṣṇa pakṣa), Trayodaśī (naktāśana as “dharma-vrata”), Caturdaśī (raudra-vrata, emphasized in kṛṣṇa pakṣa, described as beginning from Māgha and continuing for a year), Paurṇamāsī (indu-vrata with night eating on the bright fifteenth), and Amāvāsyā (pitṛ-vrata). A separate instruction mentions commencing from Mārgaśīrṣa śukla pakṣa and continuing for a year for a wealth-yielding observance.

Although explicit ecological sites are not named, the chapter’s practices imply an ethic of terrestrial balance through restraint and regularization: naktāśana limits consumption, and offerings to the directions acknowledge a spatially distributed cosmology in which humans interact with the environment through measured, purified exchanges. In the Varāha–Pṛthivī frame, such disciplined cycles can be read as supporting orderly human–Earth relations by reducing excess and embedding conduct in seasonal-lunar rhythms.

The passage is voiced by the sage Agastya (Agastya uvāca) as the immediate instructor within the transmitted narration. It also addresses a royal recipient (nṛpa/rājendra), but no specific dynastic lineage or named king is identified here. Learned brāhmaṇas (dvijottama) appear as recipients of honor within the ritual procedure.

Ask anything about Adhyaya 65 of the Varaha Purana

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

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.

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App