Varaha Purana 55.31 — Adhyaya 55, Shloka 31
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
राजोवाच । क्षराक्षरं क्षीरसमुद्रशायिनं क्षितीधरं मूर्तिमतां परं पदम् । अतीन्द्रियं विश्वभुजां पुरः कृतं निराकृतं स्तौमि जनार्दनं प्रभुम् ॥ ५५.३१ ॥
rājovāca | kṣarākṣaraṁ kṣīrasamudraśāyinaṁ kṣitīdharaṁ mūrtimatāṁ paraṁ padam | atīndriyaṁ viśvabhujāṁ puraḥ kṛtaṁ nirākṛtaṁ staumi janārdanaṁ prabhum || 55.31 ||
بادشاہ نے کہا—میں جناردن ربّ کی حمد کرتا ہوں؛ وہ فانی و باقی دونوں کا مظہر ہے، بحرِ شیر پر آرام فرمانے والا، زمین کو تھامنے والا، مجسّمات میں اعلیٰ ترین مقام، حواس سے ماورا، کائنات کی پرورش میں پیش رو، اور پھر بھی بے صورت و بے قید ہے۔
Rājā (the King)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None (a royal stuti establishing the Lord as both kṣara/akṣara, with form yet beyond form)."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Implicit Vaiṣṇava theism (Janārdana) but no Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa-līlā marker in the verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The hymn frames Viṣṇu as simultaneously immanent (kṣara) and transcendent (akṣara), with ‘bearing the earth’ functioning as a cosmic-support motif that can be read through Yajña-Vārāha/Vaiṣṇava cosmology: the Lord is the ground of manifestation while remaining nirākṛta (unconditioned).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Generalized rather than anatomical: ‘kṣitīdhara’ (earth-bearer) and ‘kṣīrasamudraśāyin’ (reclining on the Milk Ocean) evoke Purāṇic cosmic iconography; no tusk/hoof mappings stated.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges saguṇa/nirguṇa discourse: ‘mūrtimatāṃ paraṃ padam’ with ‘nirākṛtam’ echoes Upaniṣadic Brahman as beyond sense (atīndriya) yet the support of the world-order."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology-metaphysics (immanence/transcendence)","core_concept":"The Lord is both within change (kṣara) and beyond change (akṣara), perceptible as ‘form’ yet ultimately beyond all conditioning.","practical_application":"Use stuti and contemplation to hold together devotion to a personal Lord with insight into the unconditioned ground of being."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Theology (Vaishnava hymnody)","Philosophy of form and formlessness"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: cosmic-ocean / mythic space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring kṣitīdhara/earth-support and atīndriya epithets in Vaiṣṇava stutis (general motif)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in añjali praises Janārdana envisioned as Viṣṇu reclining on the Milk Ocean, simultaneously radiating a formless, unconditioned aura; the Earth is symbolically supported beneath/within his cosmic presence.","item_prompts":["king in royal attire with folded hands","Viṣṇu on Śeṣa over milky waves","halo suggesting nirākṛta/atīndriya transcendence","Earth globe or Bhū symbol near the Lord’s support-bearing posture","conch/discus motifs as subtle emblems (even if not named here)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette: Viṣṇu-śayana on Śeṣa in Kṣīrasamudra, the king at lower corner in añjali, strong outlining, serene śānta-bhāva, luminous aura indicating atīndriya nirākṛta.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Viṣṇu on Śeṣa with heavy gold-leaf prabhāmaṇḍala, milky ocean stylized, king as small donor-figure, earth-support symbol at base, rich ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined Viṣṇu-śayana with delicate shading, subdued milky ocean, king in respectful pose, emphasis on calm transcendence through soft halo and minimal clutter.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Kṣīrasamudra scene with rolling pale waves, Viṣṇu on Śeṣa under a stylized canopy, small-scale king devotee, poetic space conveying nirguṇa-saguṇa tension."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic-śānta stuti","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"deep, steady, reverential with clear articulation of compounds"}
FAQs
It exemplifies Purāṇic stuti (formal praise) in which a royal speaker articulates a layered theological vocabulary—combining cosmological imagery (Ocean of Milk, Earth-bearer) with philosophical categories (kṣara/akṣara; sensory transcendence).
No terrestrial pilgrimage site is named in this verse; the primary ‘location’ is cosmological: the Kṣīrasamudra (Ocean of Milk), a standard Purāṇic cosmic setting associated with Viṣṇu.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse models a philosophical instruction: recognizing a single ultimate principle described through complementary attributes—immanent (supporting the Earth) and transcendent (beyond senses and form).
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