Varaha Purana 3.11 — Adhyaya 3, Shloka 11
Nārada’s Account of a Former Birth and a Hymn to Nārāyaṇa
नारद उवाच । परं पराणाममृतं पुराणं पारं परं विष्णुमनन्तवीर्यम् । नमामि नित्यं पुरुषं पुराणं परायणं पारगतं पराणाम् ॥ ३.११ ॥
nārada uvāca | paraṁ parāṇām amṛtaṁ purāṇaṁ pāraṁ paraṁ viṣṇum anantavīryam | namāmi nityaṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇaṁ parāyaṇaṁ pāragataṁ parāṇām || 3.11 ||
نارد نے کہا: میں ہمیشہ وِشنو کو نمسکار کرتا ہوں جو پراتپر، امرت سوروپ، قدیم اور اننت ویرْی ہیں؛ وہی پرم پار، آدی پُرش، پرم آسرَے اور تمام برتریوں سے ماورا ہیں۔
Nārada
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
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":"The hymn stacks ‘pāra/para’ to indicate transcendence beyond all hierarchies; Viṣṇu is both the goal and the means (parāyaṇa), mirroring Yajña-Varāha as the cosmic sacrifice that carries beings across saṃsāra.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Amṛta’ and ‘purāṇa puruṣa’ evoke the imperishable yajña-puruṣa; ‘ananta-vīrya’ suggests inexhaustible sacrificial potency sustaining worlds.","vedantic_connection":"Apophatic-superlative language (‘beyond beyond’) aligns with Upaniṣadic pointers to brahman as surpassing all predicates, while retaining personal refuge (bhakti) as access-point."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology + metaphysics","core_concept":"Viṣṇu as the immortal primordial Person, supreme refuge, and the transcendent ‘far shore’—devotion and surrender orient the seeker beyond all relative ‘supremacies’.","practical_application":"Use stotra as daily alignment: recite with contemplation of meanings (amṛta, purāṇa, parāyaṇa); cultivate śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in conduct and decision-making."}
Subject Matter: ["Theology (Purāṇic)","Devotional Hymnody","Philosophical Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: śravaṇa-sabhā / sacred discourse setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Nārada’s stotra openings that sanctify subsequent instruction
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Nārada, vīṇā in hand, offering a layered hymn to Viṣṇu envisioned as boundless, ancient, and radiant—transcendent yet approachable.","item_prompts":["Nārada with vīṇā","Viṣṇu as luminous infinite form or majestic icon","multiple ‘pāra/para’ suggested via layered halos","cosmic backdrop (stars/ocean of light)","gesture of namas (bowing)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Nārada with ornate vīṇā, Viṣṇu with expansive prabhā, rhythmic decorative cosmos, strong bhakti mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Viṣṇu central with heavy gold halo and ornaments; Nārada at side in devotion; gold used to convey ‘amṛta’ radiance.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant Nārada figure, detailed vīṇā, soft luminous Viṣṇu presence, refined devotional intimacy.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Nārada singing in a moonlit/cosmic landscape, Viṣṇu appearing as a vast light-form above, delicate lines and cool palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"hymnic exaltation","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium with measured emphasis on compounds","voice_tone":"sonorous, uplifted, devotional"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic framing device: an authoritative sage (Nārada) opens or punctuates narration with a formal praise (stuti), anchoring the text within the wider Sanskrit hymn tradition and signaling Vaiṣṇava theological orientation.
No geographic site is named in this verse; it functions as a theological invocation rather than a tīrtha (sacred geography) reference.
The verse models disciplined remembrance and humility—continuous salutation to the ‘ultimate refuge’—as a philosophical posture rather than a prescriptive command.
Ask anything about this verse
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