Varaha Purana 73.21 — Adhyaya 73, Shloka 21
Rudra’s Hymn: Vision of Nārāyaṇa, the Emergence of the Ādityas, and the Mutual Boon of Hari and Hara
ज्वलधूताशार्चिविरुद्धमण्डल प्रपाहि नारायण विश्वतोमुख । नमोऽस्तु देवार्त्तिहरामृताव्यय प्रपाहि मां शरणगतं सदाच्युत ॥ ७३.२१ ॥
jvaladhūtāśārciviruddhamaṇḍala prapāhi nārāyaṇa viśvatomukha | namo 'stu devārttiharāmṛtāvyaya prapāhi māṃ śaraṇagataṃ sadācyuta || 73.21 ||
اے نارائن، ہر سمت رخ رکھنے والے! بھڑکتی آگ اور اس کی شعلہ فشاں روشنی کے مقابل قائم تیرے عظیم دائرۂ قدرت کے سہارے میری حفاظت فرما۔ اے دیوتاؤں کی تکلیف دور کرنے والے، امر اور لازوال، تجھے نمسکار؛ اے سدا اچیوت، پناہ لینے والے مجھے بچا لے۔
Pṛthivī (default speaker framework: supplicant voice within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","earth_interaction":"Bhu-devī (as supplicant voice) seeks protective refuge (śaraṇāgati) from Nārāyaṇa/Varāha, invoking him as remover of divine distress and universal-faced protector."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"anxious, seeking protection; surrendered","key_question":"Will you protect me who has taken refuge, O Nārāyaṇa/Acyuta, against overwhelming fiery danger and distress?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) and stuti are presented as the ethical-spiritual recourse in संकट (distress): approach the Lord as protector and remover of ārtī.","karmic_consequence":"Taking refuge with humility leads to protection and relief; turning away in pride leaves one exposed to भय and saṃsāric suffering (implied, not juridically stated)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"‘Viśvatomukha’ (faces in all directions) signals omnipresence and omniscience—Īśvara as the all-guarding perimeter of the cosmos; ‘amṛta/avyaya’ frames him as the deathless refuge beyond elemental destruction (fire).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Fire-opposition motif can be read ritually: the Lord as the regulator of tejas (agni) and its radiance, ensuring cosmic order; no explicit Yajña-Varāha limb-symbols stated.","vedantic_connection":"Bhakti-vedānta of śaraṇāgati: the imperishable Lord is the ultimate āśraya; distress (ārtī) is resolved by turning to the eternal rather than transient guṇic supports."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-ethics","core_concept":"The Lord is viśvatomukha and ārtihara; surrender (śaraṇāgati) is a valid means to safety and grace.","practical_application":"In fear or calamity, adopt śaraṇāgati: verbalize dependence, offer namas, and align conduct with trust (avoid despair, cultivate remembrance)."}
Subject Matter: ["Protective invocation","Theology (Vaishnava)","Ethics (refuge and protection)"]
Primary Rasa: Bhakti
Secondary Rasa: Karuṇa
Type: hymnic-prayer setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Bhu-devī’s stuti/prārthanā sequence in adhyāya 73
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhu-devī (or a feminine personification of Earth) in supplication, hands folded, facing the all-directional Lord whose aura subdues blazing fire; the Lord as cosmic protector.","item_prompts":["Bhu-devī kneeling/añjali","surrounding flames or fiery radiance held at bay","deity with multi-directional gaze/heads suggested","protective halo (prabhā)","gesture of assurance (abhaya-mudrā)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Bhu-devī in ornate sari, añjali; Varāha/Nārāyaṇa with expansive halo and stylized flame motifs pushed outward; strong flat colors and decorative borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central deity with gold-leaf aura; embossed flame ring outside the halo; Bhu-devī small at base in añjali; rich jewelry and gemstones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft, devotional scene; controlled flames as background motif; deity’s calm face(s) and abhaya-mudrā; delicate detailing on Bhu-devī.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: dramatic yet lyrical flames in the landscape; Bhu-devī pleading; deity luminous, facing all directions symbolically (multiple profiles or radiating faces)."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"urgent supplication turning to calm assurance","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"pleading at start, settling into steady reverence"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic literary feature: a concise stuti (hymn of praise) used as a protective appeal, reflecting the text’s devotional register alongside its narrative and didactic materials.
No specific geographic toponym appears in this verse; it is a generalized invocation addressed to Nārāyaṇa with universal epithets such as viśvatomukha (“facing all directions”).
The verse foregrounds the philosophical-ethical posture of śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) and frames protection as a stabilizing cosmic principle attributed to the imperishable (avyaya) divine preserver.
Ask anything about this verse
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