Varaha Purana 3.14 — Adhyaya 3, Shloka 14
Nārada’s Account of a Former Birth and a Hymn to Nārāyaṇa
पुरा पुरं शून्यमिदं ससर्ज्ज तदा स्थितत्वात् पुरुषः प्रधानः । जने प्रसिद्धः शरणं ममास्तु नारायणो वीतमलः पुराणः ॥ ३.१४ ॥
purā puraṃ śūnyam idaṃ sasarjja tadā sthitatvāt puruṣaḥ pradhānaḥ | jane prasiddhaḥ śaraṇaṃ mamāstu nārāyaṇo vītamalaḥ purāṇaḥ || 3.14 ||
قدیم زمانے میں اسی نے اس جگت-نگری کو گویا خالی سا پیدا کیا؛ پھر اپنی ثابت قدمی کے سبب وہ پُرُش—جو پرادھان تत्त्व ہے—اس کا سہارا بنا۔ لوگوں میں مشہور، بے داغ، قدیم نارائن ہی میرا ملجا ہو۔
Varāha (default attribution; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Varāha (as speaker) frames Nārāyaṇa as creator-support and refuge, implicitly consoling and grounding Bhū-devī’s cosmological understanding."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"receptive; seeking śaraṇa amid cosmic questions of origin/support","key_question":"How did the ‘world-city’ arise from seeming emptiness, and who is the steady support (puruṣa/pradhāna) that becomes refuge?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Implicit: creation theology underwrites avatāra doctrine; no direct Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa marker here."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The avatāra-speaker points beyond form to the cosmic function: Nārāyaṇa brings forth order from ‘śūnya’-like undifferentiation and remains the stable substratum—mirroring Varāha’s role of restoring Earth from the abyss.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit; implicit: ‘sṛṣṭi’ as cosmic yajña—manifestation from undifferentiated potential, sustained by the Lord’s ‘sthiti’ (abiding steadiness).","vedantic_connection":"Satkārya/avyakta-to-vyakta movement framed theistically: the Lord as both efficient and sustaining cause; ‘śaraṇa’ points to bhakti-vedānta refuge doctrine."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmology + refuge theology","core_concept":"From apparent emptiness/undifferentiation the Lord manifests the ordered ‘pura’ (world-system) and, by steadfast abiding, supports it; therefore he alone is śaraṇa.","practical_application":"When confronted with instability or ‘emptiness,’ anchor mind in the Lord as substratum; practice śaraṇāgati as existential orientation."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Theology","Philosophical Instruction"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: creation-and-dissolution discussions where Nārāyaṇa is cause and support
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmogonic tableau: from a dark, quiet void emerges the structured ‘city’ of worlds, while Nārāyaṇa stands as the unwavering support; the speaker seeks refuge.","item_prompts":["transition from darkness/void to ordered cosmos","Nārāyaṇa as central stabilizing axis (pillar/lotus-stem)","worlds as concentric spheres or a city-like mandala","gesture of seeking refuge (hands raised/añjali)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: layered cosmic bands emerging from dark blue; Nārāyaṇa as steady central figure; minimal but symbolic architecture for ‘pura’.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted cosmic mandala-city behind Nārāyaṇa; strong central axis; devotee/speaker at base in śaraṇa posture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant cosmology with soft gradients from void to form; Nārāyaṇa calm, anchoring; refined detailing of cosmic ‘city’.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic emergence—misty void opening into a delicate mandala of worlds; Nārāyaṇa as serene support; gentle palette, spacious composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, cosmogonic contemplation","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"vilambita (slow)","voice_tone":"grave, resonant, with a slight pause on ‘śūnyam’ and ‘śaraṇam’"}
FAQs
It functions as an invocatory and cosmological statement typical of Purāṇic composition, linking creation language with a doxological conclusion (seeking refuge in Nārāyaṇa), reflecting the text’s broader Vaiṣṇava literary milieu.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the imagery is cosmological (“this world/city”), not topographical.
The verse’s philosophical instruction emphasizes seeking refuge in an idealized principle of purity and antiquity (Nārāyaṇa) and framing cosmological origins within a disciplined, steady foundational order (sthitatva).
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